Made for Each Other
by The WGPM
Summary: Doofenshmirtz finally got one right. His goal: to engineer the perfect human - but his success came with a catch. So had someone else. When the results' forbidden meeting becomes reality, they'll both learn there's much more to their origins than meets the eye, and their bond may have consequences worse than what anyone could have predicted. Not your typical Phinabella AU! Redone!
1. Perfect

**Here I go, into the world of the AU. This one was first going to be written as an original fiction piece, but really, it's more fun this way. So, in this particular story, the García-Shapiro's live in Mexico. Linda and Lawrence are married, but Phineas and Candace (or, their AU counterparts anyway) do not know about it. And yes, Doof is their biological father. Although, so are plenty of other people.**

**Disclaimers: _Phineas and Ferb _belongs to Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh (and Disney). Also, as these characters are not mine, they may not be accurate representations of perfection, and I mean no offence to anyone who disagrees with what is stated here. This story is meant purely for entertainment. Thank you for understanding.**

**10/21/15: Hello! It's me from the future, with a special announcement concerning this story. I wrote this the first time a year ago, and for this anniversary, I've decided to rewrite. The whole. Thing. (That is, aside from this chapter, and the one after it.) Cover image is still made by me, and I'm thinking of keeping the same A/N's in the beginning, so don't be confused as they were each written at the time of each chapter's publishing. Hope you enjoy this story in its new form, and I'd like to know if anyone thinks it's better this way!**

* * *

For the first time in centuries, there was a war. Nothing violent, of course, but that was what everyone called it. It was not a war, as much as a race. A scientific revolution between two countries who had generally kept peace since their respective foundings.

In the north corner, the United States of America. A scientist by the name of Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz was the one who started it all - one day, he came across a genetic breakthrough that could allow for the traits he desired to be present in a human being. He set to work that very night, gathering materials, testing on mice, studying his field for years before he was ready to try it for real. The result was Cansummace.

In the south, Mexico. Fed up with the attention received by their northern and European neighbors, another scientist named Vivian García took to studying for the same project. Determined to boost her country's reputation in the world of science, she did everything she could to produce a person with the traits.

Cansummace was a failed experiment. She was a healthy person, cleared by all the medics in Doofenshmirtz's wing, but she was mentally unstable on an extreme level. Her morals were straight, and her ambition, acceptable, but she was physically average. Not ugly, but not gorgeous. Not constantly sick, but not entirely immune. She was a step towards the goal, but as much as Doofenshmirtz loved her, she was not enough to satisfy his needs.

After Cansummace was born (actually, she was developed in a petri dish), Dra. García wasted no time putting her studies to the test. The United States, taking notice of Mexico's ambition, did the same. Exactly four years after Cansummace, two new experiments entered the picture. On the same day. On January first of the new year, Perfeneas was born as a brother to Cansummace, and Isealia became the only daughter to the now Dra. García-Shapiro. The race ended, and it was a tie.

Unlike poor Cansummace, Perfeneas and Isealia had done it. They satisfied every category the scientists required. They were perfect. In the ten and a half years they have each been alive, they have never once been called unattractive. Never once had they fallen ill. They lived their lives as if nothing could ever go wrong, and because they could never do wrong, nothing did.

At least not to them.

Cansummace. Perfeneas. Isealia. Consummation. Perfection. Ideals. These are the things the two geneticists spent their careers achieving. Not unto themselves; it was far too late for that. What they wanted was for their children to be this way. And that's what they got.

* * *

"Perfeneas! Get over here!" Bellowed Cansummace. The boy quickly obliged. "Look what I did."

Perfeneas inspected his sister's creation. A second later, he asked, "What do you request I do now?"

"Tell me what you think about it," she told him.

The boy peered over the scale model rollercoaster on the living room table. After the addition of the table's height, it was as tall as he was.

"I think the model is useless for anything beyond decoration," Peferneas concluded. "However, given the gradient of the first drop and the speed that centrifugal force would have generated at this point, I believe that if a life-sized version of the ride was to be assembled, people who are not inherently scared to go on it would find riding it enjoyable. I realize that you are asking me to evaluate your construction of the model, and at first glance it looks like you have done it correctly. I cannot ignore the fact that this piece is slightly dislodged or that there lacks an appropriate amount of space for the car to fit under the track here. Despite this, I have noticed your skills in the previously mentioned field have improved since the last time you requested my evaluation, and because you obviously desire a compliment, I will say: you have done well."

Perfeneas's air of friendliness getting to his sister, Cansummace decided this was an acceptable answer (while she did not have all the personality traits present in her brother, she was given an almost infinite measure of patience). "I want to learn how to do it right," she admitted. "Perfect, like you would do it."

"I request permission to touch the model," Perfeneas stated.

Cansummace sighed. "...Granted," she allowed.

Perfeneas moved at a brisk pace, placing each piece in its proper position and then disinfecting the project. "It is as you want it to be, sister."

"Good. Now please go away."

The boy was unfazed by the rudeness of the question. He did as he was told.

Dr. Doofenshmirtz called him.

* * *

"Isealia," Dra. García-Shapiro called in fluent Latin American Spanish, "Please come here. I need to tell you something."

The girl walked quickly and quietly up to her mother. "I am present and you have my attention," she stated.

* * *

"Listen, kiddo," Doofenshmirtz began, using the nickname he started calling his one success. "In one week, there's going to be a sort of convention you will need to attend."

* * *

"I request details on the nature of this convention," Isealia said.

Vivian sat upright on the sofa. "It is a science convention," she informed.

* * *

"I have been told that I excel at science," Perfeneas insisted.

"You excel at everything," Doofenshmirtz reminded the boy.

* * *

Isealia told her mother, "I am aware of that."

"Good. Now..." She sighed. "There's something I haven't told you about your origin."

* * *

Without giving Perfeneas time to react, Doofenshmirtz continued. "You see, kiddo, you were designed to be perfect. But, in Mexico, there was someone else who had the same idea, and eventually it became a competition, of sorts, to see who would finish first."

* * *

"The only problem is, you and the other boy were born on the same day. No one won, so that day I had to make a pact with the American scientist. It was decided that ten years and seven months after your birthday, you two would be tested. Whoever scores higher wins for their country."

Isealia processed this information immediately, being able to think faster than average people. "Mother, if we are both perfect, how will one of us outrank the other? With all due respect, this test you speak of is a contradiction of itself."

* * *

"Well, kiddo, that's the thing," Doofenshmirtz added, "Since you're supposed to be the embodiment of perfection, and there's two of you, logic dictates that either one or the other actually makes the cut." The scientist exhaled sharply. "And I know it's you."

"I do not have any proof to say either way," Perfeneas stated. "However, it is my opinion that, especially considering we are of different genders, it is possible for both of us to be perfect. After all, in a mathematical equation, there are multiple ways to reach the accurate conclusion."

* * *

Vivian did not believe her ears. Either Isealia was implying she was wrong or proving that her American counterpart was superior. Because Vivian was flawed, she felt the need to correct this even after arriving at that conclusion. "Nonsense, Isealia. You are going to the convention and you are going to take the test and you are going to win. I believe in you and the rest of Mexico believes in you. We are leaving for America in four days time. Do you have any questions?"

* * *

To Perfeneas, the reaction time between his father's question and his answer felt like an entire minute. It was in reality less than five seconds. "I do have one question."

"Shoot."

"Will I interact with the other person?"

* * *

"I was afraid you would ask that..." Dra. García-Shapiro admitted. "The answer is no. You will not be able to talk to him, meet him, know his name - by the official rules, I think you are not even allowed to look at him."

Isealia considered this. "I understand," she declared. "At your instruction, I will begin packing for the trip."

* * *

"Good boy," praised Dr. Doofenshmirtz. "You can start now."

Perfeneas did as he was told.


	2. Identical

**This chapter is mostly description... That's okay, right? Once again, I mean no offense to anyone if I misrepresent a character or location.**

**Review responses!**

**Guest: Hehe. That's a funny word. _Baleejuz_. Guess you'll see right now!**

**Phineas A: Well, chapter-wise, it might become lengthy. But the chapters themselves won't be terribly long. You got nothing, eh? Here, take some virtual peanut butter for your charity. I've got, um... Tons of it.**

* * *

Perfeneas's appearance, and that of his designated living quarters, were extremely simple. For as long as he could remember (and that was a very long time, given his photographic memory), he had been clothed in a plain white t-shirt and white denim shorts. He did wear socks, but they were invisible beneath his monotone sneakers. The most distinguishing feature about how he looked was the geometric shape of his head; who knew the most attractive male human face would be triangular? He was topped with a tuft of red hair, always properly in place. His all-white attire made him look a bit like a lit candle, the wax burning down the top into an equilateral polygon and falling into a burnt clump at his feet.

In a similar way, Perfeneas's room was uncharacteristically bland. White paint covered the walls and ceiling, and the carpet retained that same color no matter where the boy's shoes had tread. His bed, off to the corner next to his dresser and closet, was always made up even when he slept in it. He only wore the one outfit, seven other copies of which took up the space in his drawers. He had soundproofed the room himself so as not to disturb his family when practicing the many instruments - which he had purchased - that he was assigned to learn how to play. Cansummace was given the same job, but could only master the ones that start with 'B'. A video camera was always running in Perfeneas's room, but he always worked and played in peace.

* * *

Isealia was Perfeneas's immediate counterpart, and because of this they shared much in common in appearance and everything in common in personality. Of course, Isealia was not a female version of Perfeneas's triangle, for what looked good on a boy may look hideous on a girl and vice versa. It was discovered that the most attractive feminine face would take on a semicircular shape, something that was attempted in Cansummace but ultimately failed. Isealia's long, raven hair hung neatly down to the middle of her back, and if seen in a certain light, one could be sure there were strands of blue highlighting her midnight-colored head. In contrast to her hair, she wore a purely white dress with t-shirt-like sleeves and a turtleneck, which flowed, as she did, to about a quarter of the way down her legs. This was soon met with a pair of white over-the-knee socks. Her shoes were not any more colorful than the rest of her clothing. Taken all together, Isealia was subtly reminiscent of the ocean at night, what with her black hair moving like waves as she walked, with blue tints floating about like shafts of light falling into the depths of the abyss and her white dress moving in sync with her hair as free as the foam rolling on the water's surface.

* * *

Ferb Fletcher was not perfect. Not by far. One look at his hair color and mismatched eyes could tell you that much. So, unlike Perfeneas, Ferb was prone to such things as keeping secrets and not voicing his opinion. Both of these, he did often, especially now in the few months preceding Perfeneas's test with Isealia. He was the head of a team of boys Perfeneas's age assigned by the O.W.C.A., a group of spies dedicated to protecting people of importance, to lead him through life around people not born of science. There were six in all, including Ferb; the names of the other five were Buford, Baljeet, Irving, Django, and Balthazar. Recently, Ferb had been in communication with a girl slightly younger than he, by the name of Graciela, whom the boy was not supposed to even know about. One day, Irving had mentioned her and set up a satellite uplink with her and five other girls. To anyone else, the conversation between the two parties was just a friendly exchange of words, but Ferb ended up learning more than was allowed about the job of Graciela's team concerning Isealia. He eventually found a way to contact her without Irving, and since then have developed a plan, in secret, about what to do at the time of the big test.

Ferb was always good at keeping secrets. He was not purposefully vague; he just had a knack for mystery, and to be frank he had a lot of secrets he would be forced to keep even if he did not want to. His biggest was his true relationship with Perfeneas - but that was a story for another day.

* * *

For Perfeneas and Isealia, everything had to be experienced. To see what their abilities were, Vivian and Heinz had put their respective children through all kinds of different situations. In addition to other assignments, they had to learn how to play all varieties of sports, know how to defend themselves, be familiar with various trivia, possess an unsurpassed level of creativity, and learn to care for animals.

Cansummace was given a beagle to look after. She had learned how to treat it and gave it the name "Bucky." For a few years, that portion of the experiment went well, but eventually the responsibility became too much for the girl to fulfill on her own. To avoid bumping up the rating, what became of the dog will not be clarified, so suffice it to say that Bucky now lives on Old Man Simmon's farm.

Though it was not a beagle, Isealia was also given a dog. The chihuahua, named Pinky, was an agent for the O.S.B.A.M., the _Organización Sin un Buen Acrónimo de México_ (aka M.O.W.C.A. in English-speaking countries). North of the border, a platypus named Perry was given the same job, as Perfeneas's designated animal. At first, Doofenshmirtz protested that because of Perfeneas's condition he would not need any protection, but OWCA insisted and Doofenshmirtz and Perry had not gotten along since.

* * *

"Adiós, Isealia!" Graciela called, seeing her friend off at the airport. "Buena suerte."

Isealia, fluent in every language she was taught, knew the phrase meant 'Good luck'. "Thank you girls," she bid in the same tongue, "I plan to do my best."

Then, Vivian took Isealia away to the boarding gate, two tickets to the Tri-State Area hidden safely in her pocketbook.

Graciela waved cheerfully until the two were out of sight. She then excused herself from the rest of her team, Asención, Milagrosa, Acebo, Jengibre, and Katia, claiming she was meeting her parents elsewhere. She quickly bid goodbye to the girls and turned a corner so that she was not seen.

She powered up and called someone on a communication device she was permitted to use by OSBAM, disguised as a wristwatch. "Ferb, this is Graciela," she whispered into the mic, knowing not to use English. "Do you copy?"

A picture of the British boy flickered onto the screen. Despite his nationality, he had learned Spanish and carried the conversation on with little difficulty. He nodded.

Graciela continued, "Isealia and Dra. García-Shapiro just left. I am waiting for the plane to arrive, and I should be in the United States in a few hours. How is it going with Perfeneas?"

Ferb hesitated. "He is leaving in two days," he explained, "He is staying at a hotel that night and the test will be the day after."

"Good. That should give me enough time to find you and we can put the plan into action. Is Cansummace going with them?"

The boy shook his head in affirmation. Graciela peeked her head around the wall, taking note that her team of girls had left.

"...Okay. The plane will be leaving soon. I'm going in," she informed Ferb. She powered off the device and snuck into the crowd of people boarding the aircraft. Phase I was almost complete.

* * *

**Let me tell you, finding Spanish names for the Fireside Girls was not easy. Graciela takes place of Gretchen; Asención is Adyson; Milagrosa is Milly; Acebo is Spanish for Holly (it's also masculine, but whatever); Jengibre is Spanish for Ginger, and Katia is Katie, the only obvious one...**

**Carpe Diem!**


	3. Bilingual

**Hi everyone! Happy Halloween if you celebrate it, and happy November if you don't!**

**Review responses:**

**Phineas A: Yup. I'll indicate which dialogue is translated.**

**Red A: Yes, there will eventually be Phinabella (Or Perfenalia?). I'm not interesting Ferbella either.**

**Dreadwing216: O.o Actually, there are multiple awkward conversations in this chapter. Are you psychic or something? (*Uses Dark-Type move on you*) Pokémon fans will get that joke.**

**That same Guest: Hey! I make words up too! For example, a favorite between me and my bro is _Hedididejax_. It doesn't really mean anything, but sometimes we beatbox to it. The intentions of Ferb and Graciela will be revealed later. Also, I'm thinking of making all the chapters be around this length, if it's not too short.**

* * *

The boys were all exiting their daily OWCA meeting when Ferb got the call. "Who was that?" Baljeet asked once he hung up. "What did she say?"

Ferb did not answer immediately, instead using the time to consider the safest way to do so. "That sounded like Graciela," Irving noted, rolling the 'R'. "Did you tell her I said hi?"

Silence answered them as Ferb had no way of explaining. He did not realise that some of the call had been in earshot of his friends.

"She was... Calling to see how Perfeneas is doing," he attempted; at least that was true. "You know her. Very curious."

"Oh, _very_," Buford agreed. "Man, girls can be _annoying_." Ferb rolled his eyes at this.

"Wait, why were you guys speaking in Spanish?" Balthazar asked, "I know she speaks English too. Better than you know her native language."

"...Yeah," Irving added, catching on. "When we're around, you two never have a problem speaking English. But you always use _español_ when it's just the two of you, and you _know_ we can't understand it."

Buford crossed his arms and stopped walking. "You hiding somethin'?" He asked suddenly.

Ferb did not think the other boys would consider this, but unfortunately he was mistaken.

"What's going on, Ferb?" Django asked, "Why aren't we allowed to know what you're talking about?"

"You can tell us anything, you know," Balthazar added.

Ferb put his hands up, facing them. By this point, they had all stopped walking. "I was letting the lady speak more easily," he informed them.

"Oh, so it's like that, huh?" Irving challenged, pushing his glasses further up his nose. "Listen, buddy. That's my girl you're talking about. I'm going to ask you to politely _lay off_."

This took everyone by surprise. Ferb blinked at his suddenly defensive friend, a preferable method of communication to speaking. "Oh, it's not like that?" The bespectacled one realized, "Um, o-o-kay then. I-I get it."

"So, you and Graciela, Irving?" Baljeet inquired, "Since when?"

Irving looked down and played with his fingers. "Well, since-since never, but... I'm just saying it'd be nice..."

Seeing this opportunity, Buford began acting as though a large amount of pressure was pushing him to the ground. He held his hands to the sides of his head and fell onto his knees. "So... Much... Nerdiness!" He announced at the very thought of the two together, "Buford can't take it!"

The other five eyed each other and started walking again. "So, who is up for ice cream?" Baljeet asked, a faint "No! Too much!" growing farther away with each step.

* * *

Cansummace was in her room, sulking. She sat on her colorless bed - surrounded by an all-white room, which she insisted was identical to Perfeneas's - reflecting on everything her brother had that she could never attain. It was not a rare occurrence, but it was not a common one either; with the upcoming test looming over the so-called family, she considered the subject now more often and more thoroughly than ever.

Doofenshmirtz opened the door a little, found her unhappy, and walked inside. "Hey," he started. "What's got you down now?"

The teen sighed. "Perfeneas is leaving soon, right?" She asked, not bothering to look at him. Her head was in her hands.

"In a couple of days, yes," Heinz confirmed. "Once we watch him win for our country, I'll be completely free to take over the entire Tri-State Area! It'll be a win-win for everyone!" He paused. "Well, maybe not my future subjects, but pssh, who cares? Really."

Doofenshmirtz always got like this when talking about Perfeneas. Cansummace was used to it, but never believed he was serious. Most of the time she would just ignore his rants.

She finally met his gaze. "Not me," she claimed, "Not until I'm like him."

Doofenshmirtz rolled his eyes, just as used to his daughter's grievances as she was his, and no more concerned. "Honey, we talked about this," he said, half-sternly and half-comforting. "Besides, who would want to be like him?" He nodded towards the door. "Us people, we have more fun." The scientist felt as if he were talking to a failed -Inator.

Cansummace balled her fists. "Not the right kind of fun," she mumbled. Doofenshmirtz thought for a few seconds.

"Perfeneas," he called. No one answered. "Come here!"

"The walls are soundproofed. He can't hear you," Cansummace explained when the boy failed to appear a second time.

"Oh, that's right," Doofenshmirtz realized, "See? You're even smarter than I am."

The teen lit up. "I am?"

Doofenshmirtz walked towards the door. "Sure," he offered, "Now wait here and I'll get your brother."

Cansummace, with reluctance, did as she was told.

* * *

Graciela Guerrero was the biggest fan of her own resourcefulness. The girl had successfully infiltrated Flight 203 to the Tri-State Area and had remained hidden for a whole hour after takeoff, using nothing but her status as an OSBAM agent, the minimal technology she was given by said organization, and a half-full jar of peanut butter. Ferb and the boys would be impressed.

She snagged an open seat next to a sleeping man, deciding that they shared enough similarities in appearance to be related should the need for identification arise. Graciela had flown before, usually on family trips, and was considerably used to the sights and sounds of the aircrafts. The girl quietly imagined herself flying like some caped superhero outside of the plane, gazing past the man's huge stomach out the window; one day, maybe her dream of free flight could become a reality, if Perfeneas was all Ferb implied he was. She fixed her beret and sash, the OSBAM equivalents to OWCA's fedora. Out of habit mostly, and since she had nothing better to do, the girl returned her attention to the emergency evacuation cards from the pocket of the seat in front of her. She liked reading the text in English, then in Spanish, and comparing the grammar of both languages, reading one as she would read the other, and eventually ending up with funny and out-of-order sentences.

She could not see Isealia from where she was sitting, for the experiment and scientist were traveling first class and under protection by security. It was not important to keep an eye on her, however; in fact, Graciela preferred her seat for its inability to be seen from Isealia's. An African-American flight attendant approached.

"Would you like some cookies, pretzels, or peanuts?" She offered, pushing a cart full of snacks and such down the aisle.

"Thank you no," Graciela denied, momentarily forgetting which language she was speaking. She peered over the rest of the cart and, her decision made, requested, "Take a box of juice?"

This puzzled the attendant, who then realized there was a language barrier involved. "Oh, yes. Here you go."

"Thank you."

The heavy man next to Graciela shifted and his eyes slowly opened. Startled to find the girl next to him, he looked about this way and that. He quietly exclaimed something in Spanish.

"Oh, I'm sorry for waking you, sir," the lady in the aisle apologized. "Would you like some cookies, pretzels, or peanuts?"

The man just looked nervously back and forth between the two, hardly trying and just as hardly failing to comprehend the situation. The attendant turned to Graciela. "Is this man your father?" She inquired.

Graciela looked at him. Clearly, he had no clue what either of them were saying; she easily determined that he was not bilingual and replied with a tactful "Yes."

Suspicious, the woman asked the man for confirmation. Naturally, his inability to answer created an unpreferable complication.

"Does he speak English?" She whispered to the girl, who reported her findings that he was not. A second passed as the woman considered what to do. "Well, can you tell him I'd like to know for sure, honey? You know how airline security is, and I don't speak your language."

"Excuse me," Graciela started in Spanish, turning to the innocent passenger. "You do not know me, correct? I am a complete stranger to you?"

The man nodded quickly, confused by the ordeal.

"Oh, okay," the flight attendant dismissed, _"Just making sure."_ And she left, heading back down the aisle. There were more potential customers down there, after all, and more peanut chickens to be sold.

Graciela turned sharply to her partner. She withdrew a badge and showed it to him, whispering urgently, "Agent G of MOWCA, or the Mexican Organization Without a Cool Acronym. Do _not_ make me do that again, do you hear me?"

He wholeheartedly agreed. "Good," Graciela said, crossing her legs and taking a sip of her juice box. "Now go back to sleep." The whole time, it never occurred to her that she was too young for this job.


	4. Invisible

**Hi there! Here's an update for y'all. Sorry it's kinda short, but it's still important. XD**

**Review responses:**

**Phineas A: Not to worry! There's plenty of Perfeneas in this chapter. And while Isealia will not appear for a while, rest assured I have not forgotten about her.**

**Dreadwing 216: Thank you! I will. :)**

**Red A: Doofenshmirtz isn't really a good guy or a bad guy. He's a nuetral guy, I guess, just like the one from the show. He's evil, but he's nice to Perfeneas and Cansummace because (in this story anyway) he engineered them.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Doofenshmirtz, followed by Perfeneas, stood outside Cansummace's door. "Alright," Doof started, "It's about time you learn what I have been teaching your brother. Come, come."

The girl's face lit up. "I am coming like you requested!" She announced.

The children followed Doofenshmirtz into the lab, where Ferb and his team were found scattered about. Some of the boys waved. "So, as you know, us three are going to be leaving in a couple days." Doofenshmirtz put a hand on his failed experiment's shoulder, addressing the children. "Cansummace here wants to do something with you before we go. You got any plans?"

The boys all exchanged glances. "Usually Perfeneas comes up with them," stated Baljeet, "Based on the events of the time period before his inspiration."

Once again, Perfeneas became the center of attention as all eyes landed on him. "There is not yet enough stimuli provided by this situation to decide what to do today," he admitted. "One cannot simply summon creativity."

"Well, that's true," Cansummace said defeatedly, turning back towards her room. She was stopped by Ferb, who cut her off and handed her a wrench and some supplies. "What's this for?" She asked, watching as the boy handed his comrades various parts. He gave Perferneas a blueprint.

The younger redhead, recognizing from experience Ferb's instruction to announce the plan, cheerfully complied. "These are the blueprints for an invisibility device," he declared, "Imagine the fun we could have if we built one!" His smile never disappeared. "I will teach Cansummace how to do so properly, as she has expressed desire for me to in the past."

"Awesome!" Cansummace yipped, ready to begin.

* * *

_Done_, Ferb thought, drilling the final screw into place. He stood back to admire the continued quality of the group's work. The machine was similar to any other one of their inventions, looking not unlike a large laser beam. Doofenshmirtz, who was always ready to take credit for the machines, was watching from a distance. His pride in having an assembly of workers doing the dirty work for him was evident in the look of satisfaction held smugly on his face. Whenever Ferb's team left and the machine they built was still there, he would often attempt to use it for Tri-State conquest as long as Perfeneas was not around. It was always destroyed by the platypus, though, and Doofenshmirtz could never figure out how...

Next to him was Cansummace who, after a few minutes of participating in the antics of her brother and their friends, quickly found the ordeal to be displeasing and felt as though some kind of punishment was in order.

Ferb felt the miniature version of the ray in his back pocket. No one had seen him make it, and no one was going to see him use it. One by one, the children stepped under the influence of the larger invention and basically had a field day - playing pranks on the visible spectators, holding competitions in hide-and-seek and Marco Polo - until the time came for the boys' return home. Some of them chose to become visible again via the invention, while others decided to wait for the effects to wear off. Still, a roll call was taken to make sure they were all there.

"Balthazar?"

"Here!"

"Django?"

"I'm here!"

"Buford?"

"He is giving me a wedgie," Baljeet explained, seemingly suspended in midair by his underpants.

"Ferb?"

"I am here."

"That should be everyone," Irving surmised. "Bye, guys!" He and the other children left, and Perfeneas and Cansummace were dismissed to their respective rooms to do something productive.

"Perfect!" Dr. Doofenshmirtz exclaimed, ignoring the nagging sense of literacy that had come to form around that word in his head. "Now, I will use this ingenious machine to sneak into City Hall, steal the papers proving Roger's mayorship, and then instate myself in his position! It's foolproof."

His plan in its crudest stages roughly established, Doofenshmirtz stalked over to the machine and tried to activate it; for reasons unbeknownst to Doofenshmirtz, it would not function properly - or at all, for that matter. "Hm, that's not right," the evil scientist observed. Perry, holding the unplugged cord, in the corner of the room, snickered to himself. "Maybe I should tell those guys to come back. Have Perfeneas and Ferb take a look at-"

"I am here."

"What?" Doofenshmirtz turned towards the sound, but it did not continue. "That sounded a whole lot like Ferb's voice..." He said to himself, considering the possibility that he was finally losing it.

"I am here."

"Oh, I knew I wasn't crazy!" The scientist celebrated. "So, you've chosen to stay here and assist me in my evil plan? You, my boy, have chosen wisely. Now, Ferb, come here and fix the mach-"

"I am here."

Doofenshmirtz blinked. "Yes, you've established that," he said, starting to lose patience. "Come turn yourself visible and help me please?"

A period of silence answered him.

"Listen, I know you don't talk a lot, but you can at least stop ignoring me."

Nothing happened.

"Ferb! Are you going to help me or not?"

"I am here."

"Yes, I _know_ that!" Doofenshmirtz approached the source of the voice. "Don't make me come there and find you, Ferb!"

"I am here."

"Aaarrgghhh!" The doctor cried in annoyance. Lanky hands raked down his frustrated face. "Wait," he realized, "Hold on a sec. Why does your voice sound exactly the same every time, Ferb?"

"I am here."

Doofenshmirtz winced and thought for a while. "Let me try something. Ferb."

"I am here."

"Ferb."

"I am here."

The evil scientist moved ever closer to the voice, which seemed to be coming from the couch. "Ferb."

"I am here."

Finally, the doctor swept at the space on the sofa, expecting to feel the boy on it. Surprisingly, he only grasped air. "Alright, where are you, _Ferb_?"

"I am here."

Doofenshmirtz looked underneath the piece of furniture, finding a small, metal, jewelry box-sized contraption on the ground. Speakers decorated the sides, and on the top, a little screen was stationed above a microphone. "Ferb," Doofenshmirtz said into the mic.

"I am here," the speakers repeated in Ferb's unmistakable British accent.

"Why, that little-" Doof started comprehending the meaning of the machine's purpose, "Where did he go!?"

Hidden behind the machine, Perry was grinning up a storm at Doofenshmirtz's stupidity. While he had not put the box there, he recognized the OWCA technology and was proud of his coworker. At the same time, however, he was utterly terrified. Where _was_ Ferb?

* * *

Flight 203 finally touched down at Jefferson County Airport. Graciela, reluctantly assisted by her huge "father," stepped out of the gate and into the humid air of Danville, USA. "Gah, it's like you can drink the air here," the MOWCA agent complained in reference to the increased level of saturation in it. Her companion did not understand, so she fell back into Spanish. "Well, we're off the plane now, so you're no use to me. 'Course, I would erase your memory of meeting me, but MOWCA prides themselves on using only the least cliché methods known to modern secret agenting. Then again, what's more cliché than an OC turning into the main antagonist? Can't take that chance..." The rest of her speech turned to muttering.

"May I interrupt?" The man asked sheepishly.

"Apparently."

"Well, I just want to say, I'm more of an extra with a speaking role than a legitimate OC."

"It doesn't matter. I can't have you compromising my cover, and you're definitely not following me around." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "You know what? Fine, I'll let you go. Most of the people here don't understand you anyway."

"Oh, thank you miss. I swear on my badge I won't breathe a word about this to anyone."

Graciela stopped. "Your badge?"

"Yes, yes," the man opened up his wallet and showed her his certification. "I am meeting another police officer here in the States to investigate a case down at the border."

"So, you work for the government, too."

He smiled. "Yes, that's right."

Graciela deadpanned. "Why didn't you stinking say so?" She asked, relieved. "In that case, good day, officer."

"And to you as well, miss," the man dismissed. The two saluted each other and went on their ways.

_I can't believe that guy,_ Graciela thought. _Thank goodness I'm not _actually _related to him._


	5. Secret

**I hope I'm not painting Ferb and Graciela in a bad light. Just for clarification, they _are_ the good guys, they're just going about their self-assigned missions in ways that aren't _that _legal.**

**Review responses!**

**Dreadwing216: Actually, it already has! If you are reading this, and this goes for everyone, you have my gratitude for making this my most popular story so far on the site. Carpe Diem!**

**Guest Again: You're right. What I meant was, Doof is a bad guy, he's just not the main antagonist (...Or is he?). Also, yes, genetics may not control all aspects of personality, but it plays a part here. Why? My excuse is, it's science fiction. There's a phrase that goes "Nature vs. Nurture," which I think is what you're talking about, and it does have a role in this story as well. Multiple people have noticed that P and I are extremely obedient too, which is something I have been trying to establish. However, someone like them should know exactly to whom it's okay to give your obedience and who will only try to take advantage of you. I never meant to make the story seem race- or gender-heavy, and it was never in my interest to make points about anything that could offend anybody. As stated above, this story is my most popular so far, but it is also probably my most controversial. For now, your fear is valid, but my hope is to soon remove any reason to think that way.**

**Phineas A: Alright. I'll try to do that.**

**Red A: What is known as the fourth wall is actually the absence of said wall. In a play, there are typically three walls surrounding the stage and one in the back of the room behind the audience. Therefore, the audience can only see the three walls. When a character in a play, or any other piece of fiction, acknowledges that the audience is there or even speaks to it, they are acknowledging the fact that there is no fourth wall separating them. Hence, breaking the fourth wall.**

**Phinfan101: Um, okay... Are you laughing at me, or am I missing something?**

**10/21/15: Back, from the future! (Because it's Back to the Future Day? Get it?) Anyway, I'm just going to say it... Some of these chapters during revising started to come out with really awkward lengths - some too short, some too long - and this is one of them. Sorry, I tried to avoid it, but some things couldn't be helped...**

**Enough ranting. On with the chapter!**

* * *

As an OWCA agent, Ferb was given access to a variety of different technologies. Grappling hooks, Monkey Wrenches, hang gliders, wrist communicationizers, fedoras, you name it. Among these was an OWCA-certified motorbike, green, purple, and cream spray paint running down the sides, which he was currently taking full-speed to a location Graciela disclosed to him. He gripped the invisible handlebars for dear life, feeling the wind course through his thick green hair sticking out in a splayed mess underneath his proudly-worn fedora, his own determined expression reminding him of that of a Tatooinian _racin' turbo dust bikes._

Yes. He stood by that metaphor.

It was the twenty-eighth day of June - three days until his plan would come to fruition and Perfeneas and Isealia would finally be enlightened to everything that really went on in their world. Everything about themselves that was being kept from them, all the lies being shoved down their throats, the universe of possibilities they would be able to experience once they learned what was really going on; put as Cansummace would, he was going to bust the world for its secrecy to them. He crawled to a stop on the sidewalk in front of the Hidden Oak Hotel, the energetic hum of his bike slowly receding into a steady putter; he then flipped off the miniature global positioning system in the small dashboard, pushing out the kickstand with his left heel at the same time.

Making sure he was unnoticed, Ferb finally retrieved his invisibility pistol and aimed it at the precious motorbike - the blast renewed its time to retain invisibility - then ran behind the building and turned it on himself again, gaining the same effect.

In his absence, an unsuspecting passerby walked into the vehicle before dizzily continuing his trek.

To avoid suspicion, Ferb entered the building with a family of four. It was in no way difficult; it was as if the female daughter had known to keep the door open a second longer for him. He did not dwell on this possibility, however, and instead made sure to stray off the rug and onto the tile floor of the lobby in an effort to minimize the appearance of his would-be ghost-like footfalls.

He went into the elevator the same way he made it past the hotel gates. A small crowd awaited at the top, but Ferb was able to push through them and he jogged the hallways to room K203, the place Graciela had specified during the beginning of their plan's formation.

Pressing an invisible eye up to the door's peephole, Ferb realised he could not see any more than a meter into the room, at best; he would have to trust that his friend had the right location. He rasped his hand against the heavy wood in a pattern they had agreed on, namely his first four initials spelled out in Morse code.

Seconds passed.

He raised his hand with annoyed intention to try again when the door opened, finally revealing the petite, eight-year-old Graciela.

In sharp contrast to her age and appearance, the Mexican child's tone portrayed that she was clearly all business. "Where en el mundo were you?" She whisper-snapped, assuming the empty space in front of her was really her invisible partner. "Come in, quickly."

_It's nice to finally meet you in person, too,_ Ferb mused. He felt the ray in his back pocket and accepted her outstretched hand, giving a shake that proved his presence; Graciela exhaled. "Am ready when you are."

Ferb mentally corrected her English and fired the beam. "Wow, that worked," Graciela noted, not entirely sure why she ever doubted that it would in the first place. "Now I can quit hiding around here with only this thing's cloaking device to help me." She gestured towards her wrist communicationizer, knowing and just as well not caring that Ferb could not see it. "Do not know about you, but my country no does use that technology often. Are the effects temporary?"

She paused. "Can not see you when you shake your head." When Ferb looked at her face there was nothing but the finely engraved wood behind it, but it certainly was not amused.

Likewise, Graciela could not see Ferb's expression, but knowing him she was sure there was a pair of lowered eyebrows involved. "_I_ can not see you. Happy?"

"Yes. And they are temporary."

One would think there was a draft in the empty hotel room; it was actually Graciela sighing. Whether in approval; or in disappointment; or in relief; or in the realization that she had finally heard the British lull of his voice in person, no one will ever be sure.

"Okay. And for the record, I am glad to meet you in person." She extended her right hand again, this time too forcefully and too far. The puff of air she heard escape the boy in front of her indicated that the blow knocked his wind out.

"Ooh, sorry," she apologized sincerely. "I, ah, forgot how tall you are."

Ferb bent forward in an attempt to right his breathing, and raised a hand to show he was fine. "Ow!" Graciela whined, finding that Ferb had accidentally smacked her upside the head. "Okay, now are even. And say nothing about the subject pronouns, am working on them! Know what?" She paused to pick up her light gray beret from wherever it had fallen when he flipped it off her head. It required some searching, but she was glad to find it underneath her foot. "Let's just get on with the mission. Isealia y-" Graciela coughed at her mistake, plopping the hat onto its proper position- "_and_ Dr. García-Shapiro left a few minutes ago to get some food and get used to the town. Have been spying on them for a while - nothing out of the ordinary yet, so we should be in the clear. Hey! Am using American lingo!"

Silence.

"You don't care; got it. So, may we?" She was referring, of course, to Phase II of their mission.

The two learned soon enough that apparently, they may not. Both children panicked as the same family that came in with Ferb unlocked the door and made their way inside.

Ferb vaguely recalled Graciela claiming this room was not booked, and the near-silent gasp of the girl to his left proved that her surprise ran as deep as his. He immediately felt the space beside him for her and clamped a hand over what he was reasonably sure was her mouth. This reasonable certainty was easily confirmed when he felt some kind of wet muscle smear itself against his palm - did she _seriously_ just lick him?

Dismissing this, the nine-year-old wiped his hand down his high-waisted shorts and pushed the two to the nearest wall. They placed their backs firmly against it, not daring to breathe as the family's antics played out.

"Thanks again for getting this ready for us," the older man said gratefully to his dark-haired wife. "I know it's pretty last-minute."

The woman's outfit entirely matched those of the hotel's other workers, being a relatively simple combination of black on black on black. "No problem, honey," she answered quickly, "Being the owner has its perks. I actually have to go back now, you know how busy it gets this time of year."

"Don't I?" The man replied with a grin.

"Great. See you later then."

Her husband and the children (actually, they looked to be more adolescents, Ferb noticed) all saw her off. The door gave a mightily discouraging click as it locked closed behind her.

"We should leave..." Graciela insisted precariously into Ferb's ear over the clicks of opening suitcases and the zips of string bags ripping apart.

The statement to Ferb was an obvious, _No, duh. _He was sure doing this would prove easier said than done, however.

"You know what doesn't make sense?" The family's son asked conversationally, opening up a foldable game system on the bed he had wordlessly claimed as his own, "Why we're staying in a hotel when we live right here in the Tri-State Area."

"One," the remaining female began, leaning up against the same wall Ferb and Graciela were, not six inches away from the invisible children. "You know, this is the hotel that Isealia's staying at. I'm really hoping for a chance to meet her!"

"Kayla." Her brother lowered his game and gave her a look that obviously questioned her IQ. "Really, what are the chances of that?"

Kayla's mouth twisted to the side as she considered this. "I'd say pretty good," she confidently asserted, earning an eye-roll and contradicting smile from her brother. "And two," she continued, "We aren't in here for five minutes, and you're _already_ on that thing?" She gestured to his game, a red version of which Ferb noticed resting in her back pocket, and the other kid merely shrugged and returned to playing.

"No fighting," their father called from across the room, not looking up from his work unloading the suitcase.

The older of the children sighed. "I just find it a little weird, that's all," she explained in a voice that sounded like a mutter due to its low volume. Suddenly, a playful grin crossed her face as she turned to her left - where she would have come face-to-face with Ferb had he been visible - and observed: "Oh, look, a closet; ain't that nifty."

Ferb and Graciela cursed their luck as Kayla nearly walked through them to get to the door against which they had plastered themselves. The two felt their heart rates accelerate even more as she reached past them to open it; they immediately scattered to separate places across the room.

Ferb was afraid he was not going to find Graciela again with any ease. He was even more afraid when he did; her invisibility was fading, and he sensed his was as well.

He ducked silently behind half of a wall, watching a mostly-transparent Graciela hurry to meet up with him. Somehow when he saw the teenage girl look out from her search of the oh-so-exciting closet, he got the feeling she had seen him clearly. The pit in his stomach dropped even farther, but did not prevent him from focusing on the task.

Not willing to take any more chances, Ferb pulled out the miniature invisibility ray and re-shot Graciela and himself with it. "Uh, I've got to - make a trip to the bathroom," the girl said hastily, jogging over to the door leading to the rest of the hotel. A strange decision, Ferb noticed, considering there was a lavatory right there in the room, but he was thankful regardless when the door opened and he and Graciela were allowed to make their escape. The girl closed it behind them, whispering something along the lines of, "You can thank me later."

Ferb was not sure how she knew of their presence, and was not willing to stay to find out. He and Graciela sprinted out of the building and onto his re-invisinated motorbike.

* * *

Doofensmirtz's face displayed a look overwhelmingly dominated by annoyance when he heard the knock on the door. He tried to ignore it and return to his work, but the rasping persisted long enough that he eventually broke. He valued what was left of his sanity, after all.

He swung the door open, and the entranceway neatly framed a fully visible MOWCA Agent Graciela - and a not-as-visible Ferb. "Excuse me," the child started with purposeful nervousness, "I am a friend of Perfeneas's. He invited me over for a while... Can I come in?"

As a part of their plan, Ferb had previously made sure Perfeneas was expecting his friend's MOWCA counterpart - he had even prepared a place for her to stay multiple nights if necessary; Graciela had done the same for Ferb with Isealia. Doofenshmirtz was informed of none of this, however.

"Um, who are you? Per-Perfeneas isn't really supposed to have outside friends." He was sure to say this quietly to keep the experiment from hearing.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Graciela congratulated herself for not only nailing the subject pronoun, but also for using it in a contraction. "I was told that I would be let in. Guess sho- _I_ should just go."

"Yeah, maybe you should," Doofenshmirtz agreed. "I can ask him right now if he wants to see you." He jabbed a finger at her. "You better not be selling something."

Graciela had faced worse complications. "Okay, go ahead. Ask him," she allowed. "In fact, want me to call him?" She raised her voice. "Perf-"

"Shush, shush!" Doofenshmirtz shushed. "Alright. Perfeneas, front and center!"

The boy was taught that Doofenshmirtz's immediate demands took precedence over a chore that could be finished later with no negative repercussions. "I am present and you have my attention," he stated.

"Hey, kiddo. You recognize this girl here? She says she's your friend. What's she want?"

"This is Graciela," Perfeneas introduced with a smile. "Yes, I was expecting her. She asked to stay here for a while; can she be let in?"

Content, Graciela thrust an arm in Perfeneas's direction. "See? Nothing to worry about," she insisted, flashing a special MOWCA-trained smile.

Doofenshmirtz contemplated the situation. "Why didn't you tell me about this?" He asked the boy skeptically.

"Cansummace overheard the conversation and wanted to tell you so that I wouldn't have to. Although, from the context of the scenario, I conclude that she likely didn't."

"You darn right, she didn't tell me. Well, if all of this is true, then..." He looked back and forth between them, a hand caressing his chin in thought.

"Hey, excuse me?" The voice of Irving was unmistakable as he appeared in the doorway. "I forgot my UPAFDS, can I - wait, Graciela?"

Ferb stood outside the door, holding the also-invisible digital compilation of the group's machines. Graciela turned to Irving and opportunity grabbed her hand and pulled her down its favorite road with enthusiasm only rivaled by that of Cansummace. "Oh, hello, Irving. How have you been?"

The boy stood there, dumbstruck and momentarily forgetting for the second time the reason he was there. "Uh, good! I'm good. Very-very good. How are you? What are you... Doing here?" He had only known her through videochat, and was now stunned to see her standing in the same doorway he was. Any explanation at this point would be acceptable.

"Well, I had a date with Perfeneas-"

Except that one! "What? No!" Irving wailed, shaking his hands in front of him as if to wave off what he believed to be the truth, "No no no no nooo! First Ferb, now Perfeneas too? Why!? Why must everyone else be after the jewel I so desire?"

The OWCA agent had dropped to his knees in dramatization at this point.

"Did I say anything wrong?" Graciela wondered with a furrowed brow, "I meant - oh, right, 'date' has a double meaning. I had an _appointment_ with Perfeneas; is that better?"

Irving, still on his knees and holding his hands in the air in desperate plea, moved only his facial features when continuing. "...Yeah." He awkwardly stood back up. "Thanks for... Clearing that up."

This taken care of, the girl looked again at the man in front of her. "So, am I welcome for to enter, mister..?"

"Doofenshmirtz. And hey, it's _Doctor_." The evil scientist scowled at the girl. Who did she think she was? Clearly she had some interaction with Perfeneas, which sent some red flags up in Doofenshmirtz's mind - there was no way he would allow her to stay. None whatsoever.

Half of him had the heart to slam the door on the children, and the other half was out getting coffee.

"Oh." Irving was taken aback by the man's rudeness. "Well, guess it's just the two of us then..."

He did not know how wrong he was - Ferb tried and succeed to not take offence. Graciela grunted. "Need to get in there... Need to find Perfeneas... Oh, it isn't good! No good..."

"Woah, woah. I'm sure it'll be okay." He placed his hands around the back of her shoulders comfortingly, which she promptly swatted off. "Is... Is that, like, the whole reason why you came to this country?"

She nodded. "By myself."

He placed a hand on his chin and considered the options. Suddenly, his index finger came up as if pointing to the ceiling, his face becoming brighter than the metaphorical lightbulb Graciela pictured forming above his head. "I got it!" He exclaimed, "Follow me."

He grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the door, towards the elevator; Graciela looked back to where she imagined the invisible Ferb had been standing, gesturing for him to follow, and the young Brit had a feeling he knew where this was headed. "You know how Perfeneas is perfect, right?"

"Obviously," Graciela agreed.

"Well, that means he always has to eat healthy." Graciela had no idea how this information could help them. "This information can help us because it means he also has to supply his own food, so he has to keep his own garden at the bottom of the building."

_That's right, the garden,_ Graciela remembered. _Isealia had one of those, too._

"And he has to come down there every day to take care of it." He checked his watch; it was almost dinnertime. "So he should be down soon, and if we get down there quick enough, we can meet him there. Sound like a plan?"

Graciela's mouth formed a thin, straight line, and she nodded. The wait for the elevator was short, and only when all three children had made it in there (Graciela made sure the doors were open until she felt Ferb tap her shoulder, confirming his presence) did Irving realize he had not let go of the girl's hand yet. She shook it off and uncomfortably wiped it a couple times across her skirt - as would be expected, his hand was on the sweaty side.

A few seconds passed as the elevator began its descent. "Um... Hm..." Irving would repeatedly mutter, trying to break the silence. "Uh, is-is this - I can't really tell, is this awkward?"

This earned a chuckle from Graciela, but nothing more. By the time the elevator got to the main floor (without extra stops, thank goodness), Irving was about as red as a sunscreen-less Irish person after a full day in Miami.

"This way," he stuttered, and led her out to the garden.

It was just as Graciela had expected: nothing short of gorgeous. The two placed themselves on a stone bench near the entrance and waited.

"Wait a minute," Irving realized suddenly, "I never got my UPAFDS back!"

At that, Ferb faintly smiled. He moved away, sprinted around the building, and rode to the other side of the Tri-State Area - but not before leaving a visible UPAFDS in the building's lost and found.


	6. Missing

**Hi there. You know, today I think I'm just going to skip to the...**

**Review Responses! (That didn't work, did it?)**

**Dreadwing 216: Thank you. Care to see?**

**Guestimation: Yes, I suppose Perfeneas and Isealia should naturally be different. Though this is AU, I have to try to keep them as in-character as the storyline allows. Also, the reason I can afford to use so much Spanish in this story - or any, really - is, because I had to move school districts once, I ended up taking the first year of Spanish class twice. ¿Divertido, no? (Yes, that was me being sarcastic in a foreign language. No judging! Jk.)**

**Phineas A: Graciela is not dating anyone. Sorry for any confusion.**

**Enjoy!~**

* * *

Isealia sorted out her possessions. The scheme of the room was identical to that of the one Ferb and Graciela found themselves trapped in earlier; one of the two beds was given the honor of being used by her to get herself situated in her new, temporary Tri-State living quarters. She traveled light, yet prepared for anything. Nights too cold at the higher latitude? No problem, she brought her long-sleeved undershirt. Nothing to do in-between the following day's training sessions? She brought a book. Naturally, once everything was put neatly in its designated location, she left to find something else productive to do; this search was answered by a sharp knocking on the hotel room door.

Vivian peered through the eyehole and evaluated the rather peculiar-looking boy past it. She was expecting him; Graciela had informed her of his impending arrival, claiming he was a MOWCA agent sent to prepare her daughter for the test. "Isealia," she called, and continued in Spanish, "Graciela's friend is here. She said he has green hair, right?"

The girl perked up. "Yes, she said it's natural." Quietly, she smiled and started toward the door.

Vivian trusted Graciela would not send an imposter to the experiment mere days before her test. Yet she hesitated. "Okay. You may let him in," she finally allowed after a few seconds of contemplation.

Isealia did as she was told.

The boy blinked, half-smiled back at the beauty that was the girl in front of him, and waved. He was not interested in pursuing any kind of romantic relationship with her, but anyone would agree that Isealia's appearance was remarkably pleasing to the eye. "Hola, chico," Vivian started. Ferb did not answer verbally, so she pushed harder. "What is your name?"

"Ferb," the boy replied casually, as he and Graciela had previously decided it was okay to use his preferred alias.

"...Y?" Vivian asked, after a while of him not continuing, and Ferb chuckled at the sound. Dra. García-Shapiro only spoke her native language, and he found her accent reasonably amusing.

"May I introduce myself?" Isealia inquired of her mother, "Graciela recommended spending time with him to better prepare for the test."

Ferb was almost startled by the resemblance between Isealia's tone and Perfeneas's. Excluding the language barrier, and the proper nouns, Ferb could imagine his friend saying the same thing.

Vivian smiled. "So she did," she invited, allowing Ferb to step into the room.

Isealia extended a hand in a friendly manner. "I'm Isealia. Pleasure to meet you."

Ferb hoped Graciela was having as much success as he was.

* * *

The MOWCA agent peered around the garden. Her opinion had not changed - it was beautiful - but she was quite used to it as a result of her time with Isealia. The boy sitting next to her did not make it any more pleasant, either. She found her eyes climbing the side of the purple building looming over her, admiring its height. Therefore she did not notice when Irving bent down to his left to retrieve a flower from the bush next to him; he would have preferred the classic, a rose, but the bud he found his hand caressing was that of a calla lily.

It was better than nothing, he decided, and attempted to tuck the huge flower behind Graciela's ear. It fell out immediately, and the girl just as quickly snapped around to look Irving glasses to glasses. She was not sure whether to be annoyed, or flattered, or both; she was good enough friends with him, and he had so far been a surprisingly valuable part of her mission. Heck, if she looked at him close enough, she had to admit he was sort of cute, in a nerdy way. But at the same time, there was no denying that Irving Du Bois was a creep, on a massive scale.

The two turned their attention to the entrance of the building, where Perfeneas could be seen and heard approaching the garden to make his rounds. "Hey, Perfeneas!" Graciela called with a wave, gaining his attention. "We wanted to talk to you."

The boy perked up. "Okay," he agreed, moving to sit on Graciela's right. He had to be sure they had his full attention, after all; and taking care of the garden was one of those tasks that could be delayed for a more immediate chore.

"So, Phin-" Graciela began a series of violent faux coughs at her mistake. "Perfeneas. Yes. That's your name, not - what I was accidentally just going to say."

"I hope you feel better," the experiment bade, in response to her hacks. He did not react to the obvious.

Graciela instinctively thanked him for the gesture, a result of her experience with Isealia, and he politely responded with the appropriate "You're welcome." His somewhat suspicious ability to disarm was the only thing that kept that routine from becoming an annoyance whenever a family member caught a cold or such.

"Why, what were you just going to say?" Irving implored of his admired, who dismissed the question with a criticizing glance.

"Never mind," she muttered when further expected to answer the question. "Was actually wondering if you would... Show me some things. What do you usually do around here?"

Perfeneas considered his full daily routine, a grin dancing across his face. "I do whatever is needed of me, depending on the time of day. There isn't a single minute in any day that can afford to go to waste, after all!"

Irving saw what was coming immediately. In enthusiasm, he turned to Graciela and latched onto her, shaking her out of sheer excitement. To demonstrate his point, and his musical abilities, Perfeneas began spontaneously performing:

_You would think it's real hard to be a perfect guy,_  
_To never make people mad or see 'em start to cry-_  
_But if you need my opinion, I'll gladly comply;_  
_This is the truth: value youth; 'cause I can never tell a lie_

_And it's never the same, every day is a game!_  
_Play your cards right, roll the dice, and maybe you'll win_  
_Don't mess up, just fess up, move your pawn back to 'go'_  
_Life is good as you make it, I'll show where to begin!_

(The tempo picked up, and Perfeneas began using hard rock-type instruments.)

_Do it fast, and do it right! Complete the day's work by night!_  
_Dare to tread where no one goes! Be confident in what you chose!_  
_Accessorize and mesmerize! Be the one they recognize!_  
_Born of science, raised with light! Perfection means to do the right!_

(The tempo and instruments immediately returned to normal.)

_It is a grand ordeal, a dream come true_  
_Listen and I'll explain to you_  
_'Seize the day,' that's what they say_  
_And 'xactly what I plan to do!_

_'Cause it's never the same, every day is a game!  
__Play your cards right, roll the dice, and maybe you'll win  
__Don't mess up, just fess up, move your pawn back to 'go'  
__Life is good as you make it, I'll show where to begin!_

At the song's conclusion, Perfeneas promptly returned his instruments to their proper locations, while Graciela could do nothing but gawk. "Goodness gracious," she stuttered, perplexed at his talent, "For how long did you be practicing that?"

Perfeneas humbly waved off the compliment. "I just made it up," explained he with a flattered smile. "I was tasked with writing at least one song every day. They don't have to be long, but I have to write and perform them."

Irving bit into his fingernails not out of nervousness but in the humility he felt to bear witness to one of Perfeneas's numbers. Possibly even just to be in the presence of someone with such an ability to improvise.

"So you just did the whole thing on the spot?"

"Yes. Yes, I did," Perfeneas confirmed. Irving nearly fainted.

Graciela was not expecting to find a difference between him and Isealia so soon; the Mexican experiment was musically inclined, of course, but this assignment was unfamiliar territory for her. Graciela blinked again. "Okay, then," was all she could think to say.

"Was that all?" Perfeneas asked, picking up the large woven basket he had brought with him for collecting his harvest.

"Ah-h... I think so," stuttered Graciela.

Perfeneas cocked an eyebrow. "Well, if there's anything else you need, please tell me."

Graciela kicked her feet on the stone bench. There was one thing she did need a bit desperately, which would be nearly impossible to get without his help seeing as Ferb was nowhere to be found. "Am new to this country, you know..." She started. "My family no knows am here. I do not... I don't have a place to stay the night." She mumbled the last part, barely loud enough for Perfeneas to hear.

"You could come over my house," Irving suggested excitedly, "My parents are making Mex-" he stopped. "-Oh. Right. You're... Probably tired of that stuff by now, right?"

While this was false (Graciela had a bit of a weakness for her country's cuisine; she was going to miss it when all this was finished), the offer still did not quite appeal to her free-spirit expectations. She pulled her feet up and hugged her knees.

Perfeneas took this visual cue in stride. "You could stay in the guest bedroom upstairs," he suggested, earning a contemplating look; "I created it myself in preparation for a situation like this." He pulled her up and placed the basket down, with all intent to finish his job later. "Here, let me show you."

When the three arrived in the massive bedroom - which could pass for a mansion's master - Irving wished he had never brought up his house.

* * *

The second group of unexpected visitors to the apartment chose to right the doorbell instead of knocking. "Shotty not!" Doofenshmirtz called from an adjacent room, one finger pushing into the tip of his nose and the other hand thrown into the air, letting his refusal to be the one to open the door ring across the floor.

Perfeneas was busy entertaining Irving and Graciela, and when Cansummace noticed she was closest to the door it became clear she had no choice.

With a begrudging sigh, the thirteen-year-old strode slowly but efficiently over to the door; her entire composure brightened when the face of the person behind it clicked in her memory and a name appeared in her head: "Vanessa?"

"Cansummace!" The visitor returned the teen's smile. Five other females their age were stationed behind her, and Cansummace made quick work of matching their faces to the names Stacy, Jenny, Mandy, Lacie, and Eliza. The six composed the last of the three teams of secret agents that were assigned to the three experiments, but after it was discovered that Cansummace was insufficient, Vanessa's team was dismissed from their obligations concerning her. They continued their OWCA training, and still cared for their friend, but OWCA by-laws did not permit them to keep visiting her. "It's been too long. How are you and your brother?" She stumbled slightly on the 'your'.

"We're doing well. Perfeneas is going to that test in a couple of days, and we're - well, we're hoping he'll win." She cocked her head. "What are you six doing here, anyway? I haven't seen you in, like, _years_. Come in!"

They quietly followed Cansummace's invitation. "We just wanted to see how you two were faring for the test," Vanessa explained. "Where is... Doofenshmirtz?"

"Inside with Fen." Cansummace jabbed a finger deeper into the apartment. Usually Ferb would be the one calling him that nickname, but here it just seemed appropriate.

Vanessa faintly nodded to Stacy; "Great, I wanted to have a talk with him. You six chill." She stalked off in search of the evil scientist.

"O-okay..."

"Cansummace!" Stacy, as per the agents' plan, ran ahead of her comrades and briefly threw her arms around the failed experiment. "How's it going? I haven't seen you for so long!" She feigned a gasp. "And your braces are off! Come on everyone, let's go catch up." She linked arms with a surprised Cansummace and directed her to the other side of the apartment. The other four giddily followed.

Vanessa slinked past the room where she could catch glimpses of the legendary Perfeneas; her plan did not involve him yet, if at all. No, Vanessa's main priority right now was to conference with the lab coat-sporting father. She located him engrossed in the restoration of some intricate-looking -Inator, grease stains marking his long white sleeves; she cleared her throat cautiously.

He turned. "Hey, what do you... Say, if it isn't Vanessa!"

His pupils were dilated and his smile was genuine. "Vanessa, what are you doing here?" Doofenshmirtz wondered. For some reason he just could not place, she was one of the only people whose company he greatly enjoyed. Her presence, however, was but a pleasant surprise.

The fifteen-year-old looked around the room, making sure the other children could not hear her. "It's Agent Ferb. OWCA tells us he's gone AWOL - even the satellite tracker on his fedora is out. We've been dispatched to look for him." She gave him a probing glance. "Any leads?"

The smile disappeared. "No, I haven't seen him since earlier today." Doofenshmirtz buried his hands into his lab coat pockets. "Other than that, I…" He felt his left hand envelop something metal and, remembering, he retrieved the boxlike contraption that marked Ferb's absence. Handing it to the agent, he explained, "Oh, yes - he left this thing here. Have any idea what it does? I tried to figure it out myself, but I'm actually not that good at reverse engineering."

Vanessa evaluated the machine. "I know what this is, it's used to simulate a voice. If he put it here to distract everyone, this is where he must have made his escape." She looked stern. "How did you lose him?"

"He was invisible! How was I supposed to know he-"

"Sh!" Vanessa reminded Heinz to be quiet, and led him away from the others. "How is that possible? We don't have cloaking technology."

"Oh, he used that machine over there." Doofenshmirtz pointed to the invention that he was working on. "Ain't she a beaut? One of my best works, I'd say. Probably."

The brunette was not convinced he was the machine's true creator, but did not push the subject. "...Okay. Actually…" She thought for a moment. "Do you have any lemon juice on you?"

"I might, why? Got a nemesis you'd like to give some papercuts to?"

The teen shook her head, admittedly amused by Doofenshmirtz's logic. "Lemon juice can reverse invisibility," she explained. "You ever heard of invisible ink?"

"Invisible, Incorporated." Doofenshmirtz considered this. "What would they do there, mass produce transparent bulls? I can't imagine there'd be a market for that."

"No, that's not what I meant. If we have enough, we can trace his footprints to wherever he is."

"Well, it's a good thing the bo-I mean, I made this the other day, then." Doofenshmirtz whipped a king-sized sheet off another creation. "Behold! The Miscellaneous Fruit Juice-Inator!"

"Great. Now, as long as we can get out of here safely we'll take care of the rest."

This was desirable. Whatever was going on, Doofenshmirtz wanted no part in it. Vanessa approached her group.

"Alright, ladies," she began, pounding a fist into her open palm. "Here's the plan..."


	7. Progressive

**Hi there! Long-ish chapter today! You may notice I'm excited. Why? The new Pokémon games are coming out now! (*does fist pump*)**

**Review**** responses:**

**Phineas A: Hm... I don't really have a name for it. Sorry.**

**Dreadwing216: Thanks! And it might. Depending on how you define the word.**

**Guest v1.0.6: I'm not really sure what you mean by that about the POV story. And I mostly put the songs in to keep stories P&amp;F-esque. Thank you for reviewing!**

**10/21/15: THIS CHAPTER WAS NOT FUN TO REVISE. That is all.**

* * *

_*A-gents V, S, J, L, M, and E!*_

Stacy, Jenny, Lacie, Mandy, and Eliza all lined up on their spray-painted scooters at the foot of the Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated building. Viewed from eye level, they peered out from behind Vanessa - who looked right at home on her jet-black motorbike - in a formation that resembled the lead agent's first initial.

"Stacy," Agent V commanded, the fedora she proudly sported giving her an air of authority she would not otherwise have. "You know what to do."

Agent S nodded and rode ahead of the others, dispensing from the back of her scooter a continuous mist of evaporated lemon juice; she formed a circle around the space in front of them. A faint line appeared on the ground, revealing invisible tire tracks.

"Invisible tire tracks?" Jenny wondered, "How can something still be invisible if it's been revealed?"

Jenny, of course, had always been rather confused; she often misheard things she understood, and misunderstood things she heard. In this case, it was what the word 'invisible' was describing. "No... Not tire tracks that are invisible," Lacie explained, slipping on a pair of sunglasses; her eyes had always been sensitive to the harsh summer light. "Tracks made by invisible tires."

"...Oh," Jenny realized, embarrassed, her face turning tomato-red. "...Right."

"Anyway…" Vanessa directed the girls' attention back to the task at hand. She pointed in the direction of the tracks. "Ferb went that way. Stacy, ride ahead of the rest of us and clear up this path."

Jenny's eyes widened. "Fear of witchcraft?"

The other six eyed her flatly. "What?"

Stacy rolled her eyes good-naturedly before following Vanessa's directions and speeding off. The rest powered up their motors and puttered close behind.

* * *

Dra. García-Shapiro and Isealia were told that Ferb would be helping them; that he would answer their questions; that they could depend on him. Instead, it seemed to be the other way around.

Nightfall had settled by now, and the ladies were well past asleep. They had shared a bed, letting Ferb take the other out of respect for the guest on the experiment's part and a slight but growing distrust of him on Vivian's. The boy silently opened the room's sliding glass door, leading to a small balcony. He grasped the railings with tired hands and closed his large, stoic eyes, taking in the beautiful summer night.

He wanted to sleep; he really did. He wanted at that point to go and slip under the covers and zonk out, letting his worn body slowly recuperate. Yet there was still work to be done. Slowly, he took a seat at a plastic deck chair and produced a logbook. He smiled at the pages as he flipped through the first half, which was filled with photos and two-dimensional memorabilia of all his adventures and inventions with Perfeneas and his friends. He briefly wondered if the experiment should be considered a part of that group; and if not, what he would be to Ferb. 'Friend' seemed so much less and so much more than their relationship at the same time. They were assigned to work and play together, but not whenever they wanted. Ferb always enjoyed his company, and while he did not know if Perfeneas was capable of processing his own emotions, Ferb was positive the redhead somehow felt the same. He slid two fingers along a picture of the boys next to each other and debated whether or not the smile on the triangle's face could be genuine.

Of course it was real! Ferb did not let himself doubt this for long. Only half of the pair knew it, but technically, Perfeneas and Ferb were brothers - stepbrothers, at that. Linda Flynn, the birthmother of Perfeneas and Cansummace, had eventually married Ferb's father; so they were brothers, and Cansummace was their sister. Only one of them was allowed to know.

The smile finally dissipated as this member of the trio flipped to the second half of his book, a passcode-protected section reserved for mission logs, classified information concerning Perfeneas, and other documents proving Ferb's OWCA status. Here was where the redhead was treated as an experiment, an item, not as a person; Ferb never agreed to that. He always considered Perfeneas a living being, an equal human with some physical advantages due to his origin, possessing his own thoughts, emotions, worries, and free will. Did he really have these? Possibly, but not as much as Ferb acted like he did. The British boy knew this, and did not care. He would treat his brother the way he would treat anyone else, within the restrictions of those controlling the experiment.

For now, that is.

He exhaled, adding to the night air the warmth of his tired breath. He recorded some things he learned about Isealia and discreetly closed the book.

Ferb stood up and made to go back inside when something on the ground outside caught his eyes: movement. Of people. His already alert heart stopped for a split second once he realised who these people were and he immediately flicked the outside light off. Ferb backed up against the wall, peered over the banister, and saw his suspicions confirmed.

Backlit by the headlights of her friends' motor scooters, Vanessa Whateverherlastnamewas and her determined expression could be seen clearly even as far away as Ferb's room's balcony. He practically sprinted inside, trying his hardest not to wake anyone, feeling a bit foolish for not considering the OWCA would not send a search party after him - and of all the agents they could have sent, it had to be the one for whom he harbored that weakness that was his crush!

He did not have time to think about this more thoroughly, however, as his efforts to be quiet had for once been in vain; he stopped when he saw Isealia's subtle figure standing in the faint light coming inside from the balcony. The ocean was calm tonight, but threatened to take someone under if they dared go out too far.

She spoke softly, with a voice that could be described no more accurately with any word other than 'pleasant'. "I thought you were asleep," she stated. "Is your bed uncomfortable? I can fix it for you."

Ferb shook his head quickly to decline, defensively throwing his hands up - and, in the process, dropping his book. It flew to the floor like a released fish flopping back into the sea, its pages ruffling open, landing faceup on the floor, the picture of the boys Ferb had reminisced over showing itself to the world. He scrambled to pick it back up.

Isealia slowly turned her head to the side and asked the obvious. "Who were you standing with in that picture?"

"It's... It's a secret," insisted Ferb, who was not nearly ready to divulge that information.

"I do not recognize the name Asecret." Isealia closed her eyes and shook her head gently at the floor.

Ferb was not sure Isealia actually believed that was the boy's name, but to prevent any unnecessary confusion he did not specify anything else. "Wait, why are you speaking English?" He inquired instead.

"I noticed your accent. You are not from Mexico at all, are you? You never said you were."

Ferb silently declined, and instructed her to go back to sleep. Casting a slightly worried glance out the back door, Ferb made sure the room was securely locked and did the same.

* * *

"Check it out. A hotel," Stacy observed, riding ahead, "Think we could crash there for a while?"

"Catch bare crocodiles?" Jenny misheard again; no one corrected her, however, so she followed along with the other five as they parked their vehicles outside and tracked the faintly glowing footsteps into the building.

"Well, look at this place. Eliza, do me a favor and see if you can get us a room, please," Vanessa requested with an air of respect, and Eliza left to do so. Vanessa's entire mien changed, however, when she made her second command: "Mandy. Lemon juice, stat."

Agent V accepted the bucket and began to slowly empty its contents onto the rug.

_"Hey!"_

The voice was female, and sounded like the scold a cat would receive for scratching up a wooden wall. Startled, Vanessa dropped the bucket and looked guiltily to its source: behind a concerned-looking Eliza, the owner of the hotel was fuming. "What are you doing with that?" She demanded, an accent Vanessa recognized as coming from New York bleeding into her voice.

"Oh, uh, my apologies. We're working for the O.W.C.A.," the agent introduced, holding up her identification. "We're looking for someone. You didn't see a green-haired British boy come in earlier today, have you?"

The manager crossed her arms.

"I didn't think so." Vanessa explained, "He was invisible when he came in and we're tracing his footsteps with this lemon juice. Watch this."

With that, the teen retrieved the bucket, flung its contents across the narrow rug, and waited.

...And waited...

...And waited longer.

When still nothing happened, the manager's rage began to build again. "If he walked on the carpet, they're supposed to show up. I don't get it." Vanessa furrowed her brow, not aware that Ferb had avoided the carpet upon his entry into the building.

"Of course it won't show up!" The owner had seemed reasonable at first, but now Vanessa could see how bad of an idea it was to get her mad as she received blow after blow of reprehension. "That wouldn't make sense - what, are we in some kind of sci-fi novel? I don't know what you think you teenagers're doing for this Polish sheep, but don't do it here." The owner pointed at the front door. "Get out!"

"But-"

"Now!"

Vanessa opened her mouth to speak again, but decided against it. "Okay." The six trudged out of the hotel and made their way to the vehicles, Vanessa to her bike and the rest to their respective scooters. Stacy powered hers on, with a hanging head, and out of the corner of her eye something grabbed her attention.

"Hey, look, guys!" She pointed to the still-glowing footprints leading away from the door. "He left the hotel. We can still find him!"


	8. Speedy

**...And I'm two days late. Yeesh. Well, happy late Thanksgiving and such. If you're into that.**

**Review responses:**

**Dreadwing216: Thank you. I think. And yes, P+I will happen... Eventually. It's just taking a while for them to meet and such.**

**Phineas A: I'm going to go with a long story. It's already, what? 12k+ words? (10/21/15: Aw, only 12k. :3)**

* * *

"Are you entirely sure about this?" Eliza inquired, wincing a bit at the sight of her friend's endeavor.

Vanessa grunted and reached for the next rung. "It's the only way I can think to find him," she explained, trying to focus all her attention on her mission. The telephone pole she was climbing sure seemed shorter from the ground...

"Vanessa, this is crazy. We'll figure something else out," Lacie commented.

"Nope, only way. Be quiet, please..."

Lacie exhaled. In an instant, Vanessa was able to scale the pole and retrieve the video camera that they would use to attempt hearing where the invisible bike went; now, though, it did not seem that getting down would be an easy accomplishment.

Vanessa looked cautiously downward and regretted it. She cringed at the task ahead of her and steeled her face. _C'mon, Vanessa... You're a rough-and-tumble secret agent! The US government doesn't select just any fifteen-year-old with insanely rich parents to do these kinds of things!_

_Wait..._

These were the thoughts running through Vanessa's head when the video camera slipped out of her grip; her first instinct led both of her arms to snap out and clutch the valuable piece of equipment, which she was able to do. However, this resulted in the immediate loss of grip on the pole, and before Vanessa knew it, she was airborne - but not, she was certain, for long.

She was correct in this assertion in that after only two seconds of fall time, her trip to the ground faced an abrupt stop. What she was not expecting, however, was to live to tell the tale. Confused, Vanessa's eyes flew open to see some kind of energy surrounding her, suspending her in midair.

"Woah..." She mouthed, "What is this, some sort of tractor beam?"

"I think it is a beam," Jenny observed. "It certainly isn't a tract."

Mandy waved her off, her closed hand extended towards Vanessa. "No, but close," she revealed. "Zero-point energy gauntlet. Stole it from Thor." Her smirk intensified as she placed Vanessa semi-carefully on the ground. "Didn't break the camera, did you?"

Agent V dusted herself off. "Don't think so. And, Mand?"

"Yeah?"

"Next time any of us is in a life-or-death situation and you have the technology to save us, please don't wait to use it!"

Mandy thought. "Not making promises," she refused. Vanessa sighed.

* * *

Graciela Guerrero was the worst critic of her own resourcefulness. Sure, she _had _navigated her way from Mexico to the Tri-State Area, and she _had _escaped the family with that somewhat-creepy girl in the hotel room, and she _had _been able to finish Phase II of the mission she and Ferb designed themselves (a video chat through their wrist communicationizers had proved that earlier), but she had a horrible feeling this was as far as she was going to get. Tomorrow was the day of the big test, and she had zero way of getting there.

She watched from her place in the garden - on the very stone she rested on last night - as the car drove off down the street, to be seen again only when the boy inside of it had proven to the world what would happen when two perfect and evenly matched beings were pitted against each other in what many would call a test. She called it a war.

She picked up a loose pebble or two and threw them in frustration. Ferb was absolutely going to give her a hard time.

Suddenly, a familiar voice knocked her out of her thoughts; its source was standing in front of her, smiling nicely.

"Graciela! Did you need a ride somewhere?"

Graciela looked up to find Irving swinging keys around on a chain. "...I _do_ own a motor scooter..."

A smile spread across the young girl's lips. "Do you now?"

* * *

Two hats fluttered around with the wind: one, a fedora; the other, a beret. "Follow that pharmacist!" Graciela cried out, holding onto Irving in front of her with one arm and commanding the charge with the other.

"What?" Wondered a confused Irving.

"Sounded like a thing good to say. That was wrong."

"That's alright. Isn't this your first time in the U.S.?"

That had not even occurred to Graciela. "Yes. It is." Her sash flapped against her side.

"So, if you don't mind my asking, why did we turn invisible again?"

They had somehow managed to revive the large version of the Invisinator, and Graciela had thought it a good idea to go under its effects for the reasons she explained just then. "Well, if she can see us, we can not follow him, right?"

"Who's she?"

"He! I mean 'he'," Graciela corrected herself, alarmed. Irving just chuckled.

Nearby, another group was discussing their next action. "Now let's see if we can't find something to play this on - hey! Do you hear that?"

The sound of Irving's scooter trailed away from a certain telephone pole, at the bottom of which stood Vanessa and her team examining the tape. "Ferb came back. Quick, follow him!"

Graciela turned sharply. "We have a tail!" She informed, and Irving advanced. He noticed the six at the apartment and knew that although they were not looking for him, he could not let himself get caught, for his friend's sake. Ferb's location was not a problem at the moment. Graciela wrapped both arms around her also-invisible partner tightly. "Ellas están yendo más rápido. Speed up!" She whispered urgently, then spat under her breath, "Quiero mi bicicleta..."

"Ugh, you know, Ferb…" Vanessa mumbled after them, "It really is easier when you aren't invisible. Stacy! Any more lemon juice?"

The teen in blue checked the tank. "All out," she reported.

"Drat." Vanessa gripped her motorcycle's handlebars tighter. "Looks like we're going to do this the hard way, then..."

"Ready to fire on your command," announced Mandy, adjusting the zero-point gauntlet on her wrist, grinning in the thrill of the chase.

"What?" Vanessa turned to her cohort, realizing what was meant. "Amanda Bertha Thorne!" She scolded with a gasp, "That is so dangerous... And, actually, maybe not a bad idea. Think you can aim that thing at _invisible _targets?"

"Um..." Apparently Mandy had not considered that. Eliza spotted an oil truck next to their pursued, and an idea formed.

"Maybe she doesn't have to!" She offered, and sped up a little. She placed one foot upon the space between the handles, letting the scooter propel itself forward, and the other on the back where the wheel was covered. Using the extra height standing like this allowed her, she removed her fedora, pulled the cord inside it that turned the rim into a saw blade, and gingerly threw it like a throwing disk at the gleaming gray canister attached to the oil truck.

There was a leak, just not the kind Eliza was expecting; the back substance poured out onto the busy highway across the invisible children's paths, not landing directly onto them but making their escape tremendously more difficult.

Eliza hopped back down onto her scooter. Stacy whooped. "Wow, you're fearless!"

This time, Jenny's confusion was a bit more understandable, seeing as the praise was sent out over the din of the wind passing the riding children. "Of course she's beardless! She's a lady!"

The others waved this off as always. "Mandy, you think you can get a clear shot?"

"I can try," she responded confidently. Each of her shots missed differently, but each caused Irving and Graciela more trouble than they had come looking for.

"You know what?" The latter offered, "Maybe I should drive."

"You want to take the controls? You can't even see the controls! Let's just get out of here!"

"We can't, we have to follow Doofenshmirtz and Perfeneas!"

Irving exhaled. "The things I do for you."

He tried going farther, but while he couldn't see the dashboard, he started feeling like there was a gas problem. "Oh, come on! I'm not supposed to have to worry about this for a long, long time!"

The group pulled out onto an exit at that moment ("Oh thank gosh!"), and a mile or so down that road, all six pursuers suddenly skidded to a halt. Looking back, Graciela realized there must have been a red light. "Did just break the _law_?" She asked Irving, impressed and disappointed simultaneously.

"...And _where's_ your passport?" The boy countered, and she blinked.

"How did know?"

"You're missing a couple 'you's'," was Irving's only response. Graciela should have known better: if Irving took a liking to someone, he would learn everything there was to know about them. That ignores the fact that he had no clue of her secret agent status, and thought that revealing his - something she had learned from Ferb long ago - would actually impress her.

The two pulled into the gas station when Doofenshmirtz did, and Doofenshmirtz pulled up to the testing facility when they did.

* * *

Vivian did not know what to make of it, but there was no denying that Isealia was acting at least a little different today. Everything about her composure screamed that something was wrong. The scientist was not terribly worried, as her daughter was still the perfect little girl she had come to be, but occasionally Vivian noticed that her smile appeared more genuine than ever before; and that while her focus never veered from her training for the next day's event, some other thought seemed to demand her attention when she was not preoccupied.

_What brought about this change?_ Vivian wondered, _Or, could it be... _Who_?_

Dra. García-Shapiro kept a close eye on Ferb all day. The kid was also also acting - unconventional, as Isealia would call it - constantly looking around as if someone was searching for him. She had her reasons for being suspicious, but the thought was mostly blamed on her parental instinct to protect Isealia. That night she took extra care keeping her daughter close, far from the influence of the apparently paranoid boy.

Tomorrow was going to be their day - Isealia's time to shine. The time for her to spread her wings and soar, demonstrating not only the success of her country but the pinnacle of human achievement itself.

And there was nothing and no one on this Earth that was going to stop her.


	9. United

**Hi there! Before anything, I want to confirm that yes, as the name implies, this is indeed the chapter where Perfeneas and Isealia meet. It's one of my favorites so far and definitely the longest. But sorry for possible OOC-ness. And get ready for some fluff.**

**Review responses:**

**Dreadwing216: Wait no longer. You can see now!**

**Phineas A: Ah, well, you guessed right. And it never actually occurred to me that P&amp;I is pi! Ya learn something new every day.**

* * *

An extreme sense of anticipation filled the now-silent air. Spectators lined the bleacher-like seats in the designated building, each with bated breath. One of these spectators was Doctor Doofenshmirtz himself, and next to him sat the misfortuned Cansummace. In both their hearts they loved Perfeneas as family, and both dearly wanted the boy to win, yet both of them had gotten a strange feeling in the air that something was going to happen - something for which neither was prepared.

The rectangular room was slightly smaller than what might have been expected for a place of such importance. On the other side of one of the long walls was another, identical room, filled with the family and researchers behind Isealia. Standing just in front of this wall on both sides were the two successful experiments, readily watching their respective audiences and waiting for instruction.

On the American side of the building, Perfeneas began smiling. It was not a new occasion, as he did so often to improve the surrounding atmosphere. Watching the boy from a chamber above, inside the wall and separated by glass, were the two moderators of the test. "Povenmire," one of them called, "You ready?"

"You got it, Marsh."

The former then began pushing some buttons on the keyboard in front of him to start the first simulation. The people controlling Isealia's test did the same. If everything worked the way it was supposed to, the experiments would not see their viewers during the exam, courtesy of a one-way mirror-like glass wall between the stage and the viewing area. It could be toggled to activate or deactivate at any given time.

Isealia and Perfeneas, all ten years and seven months of them today, stood erect, moving only because the Earth on which they stood was. Every molecule in their respective bodies was exactly in the right place. Their feet, shoulder-width apart; their hands, resting stiffly but relaxed at their sides; their hearts beating in perfect unison to pump the gallons of much sought-after blood through their very human bodies. They were ready and they knew only one could come out with the title.

Irving and Graciela, now completely visible as the effect of the previous day's Invisinator blast had worn off, snuck into Isealia's room and met Ferb in the back. He, armed with his handheld invisibility pistol, took Graciela from her chauffeur to move on with their plan. An unexpected interference kept them from it, however, one that Graciela knew she should have seen coming.

"Ferb! Where are you going?" Irving implored, the hurt visible in his eyes, "Grace, I thought-I thought we were going to watch the test together..."

The MOWCA agent smiled sympathetically at her fellow nerd. "Irving, you should know. Secret agent can't just let their friends do something like this."

"Wha-You-What?" Irving stuttered, "You're a secret agent? And you know that I-"

"Oh, come on, Irving. It was so obvious. Just like everything about you." She took him by the shoulders. It did not really require much thought by now; Irving had always been so nice to her, and - barring Isealia - was the only one who she could really show her nerd side to without feeling judged. She was not sure how much further she was going to let herself take it, but she knew that Irving needed a thank-you; she stood upon her toes for a better reach and pecked him quickly on the cheek. "Now, go on and enjoy the show."

Irving flushed a deep red and sheepishly touched the place of impact. "O-Okay," he stammered, then grinned, then beamed.

Graciela turned tail with Ferb, waving back at him with a smile. It was the last he saw of her before the green-haired boy to her left returned the two to invisibility.

It was only seconds before the walls filled in on Isealia's side before the girl suddenly disappeared.

Hardly a minute later, a different crowd gasped in unison at the sudden lack of sight of Perfeneas.

Doofenshmirtz and Cansummace in particular were shocked and slightly enraged at the event. "Where'd he go!?" Cansummace yelled, standing up and holding a fist out. To her father, she turned and added, "I'm going to find him. I'll find him and I'll bust him for - whatever this is." Not heeding the scientist's demands, she pushed through the crowd, down the stairs, and collided head-on with another figure, pushing them both to the ground.

"Oh, sorry, I - oh, it's you."

"Cansummace!" Vanessa recognized.

The younger of the two scrambled off her friend and helped her up. Vanessa's high-heeled boots clinked against the cold ground. "What are you doing here?" The failed experiment inquired.

Vanessa exhaled. "I'm... Actually, I'm looking for Ferb. I'll explain why later."

"Ferb!" Cansummace knew that name. She also knew something else about him. "Doesn't he have a thing for you?"

Vanessa's eyes opened wide in recognition. She had considered it before, but it was such a crazy notion she dismissed it every time; now, however, she realized there could be no doubt: she was being crushed on.

She may have found it cute, if not for one little detail about their relationship, one only she knew. "Well, that's awkward in every sense of the word," she said in further process of this information. "Again, I can explain later. Hey, do you hear that?"

Across the apparently metallic floor came the sounds of four pairs of feet scampering out of the room - yet no one could be seen. The door opened, as if by itself, and the invisible runaways fled. "Follow them!" Vanessa commanded, and Cansummace obliged.

In the front room of the building, Ferb and Graciela let go of Perfeneas and Isealia and sprinted behind a corner. The taller of the two retrieved his trusty invisibility pistol and, knowing somehow where his targets were, fired twice. "Wow, aim good," the girl next to him commented. In response, Ferb blew a puff of air boastingly over the -Inator's tip. They directed their attention back to the two children they had taken.

When Perfeneas opened his eyes (as he was recovering from a blink), he found himself suddenly looking into those of a peculiar stranger. When Isealia did the same, she discovered the eyes of the one person she needed to meet for a time that felt like years. They both simultaneously blinked again, unsure of what to make of this new development. Was this the first part of the test?

Without dropping the other's gaze, the two began circling each other, looking up and down their new acquaintance, evaluating them. Red hair. Blue highlights. Triangular, like the badges on her friends' sashes. Semicircular, like his sister. Straight teeth. Bright smile. White denim. Over-the-knee socks. Black shoes. Turtleneck dress. Fire, water, perfection.

_Perfection!_

They stopped walking when they returned to their original position. The conversation they had with their eyes was equivalent to the amount of devotion a child would give their first best friend. Trust quickly welded itself into the swords they were given to destroy each other.

The redhead was the first to lose his gaze, and Isealia returned with a questioning look. Perfeneas blinked once more, then responded:

_To find the words to share my true thoughts, miss,  
__Is to attempt to dispel global shame.  
__Though not impossible, I can't dismiss  
__My ignorance of your beautiful name._

Isealia paused and returned:

_I call myself Isealia, my good friend  
__But do not bother introducing me.  
__Asecret, I've admir'd you without end  
__Since from Ferb's picture your face I've first seen._

His answer was prompt: _You flatter me, dear girl, but Ferb was wrong._

She replied tactfully. _My sincerest apologies are yours._

_I am Perfeneas, the kind and strong, _he informed,  
_The one who, with all hope, will open doors._

Isealia stepped closer, realizing what she had done.

_If you are perfect, then we are the same._

Perfeneas closed the distance and raised a hand. She mirrored him exactly.

_Isealia, calm yourself; life's but a game._

From his hiding place, Ferb processed their every move and their every word. When he realised what exactly had transpired between the two, he nearly had to reach down to pick up his jaw. Graciela just stood there, hands over her mouth and tears threatening to spill from her sclera-less eyes. "Wow... That was beautiful... And he referenced the song..." She noted her friend's somewhat different than usual air of silence and whispered, "What?"

It took a while for Ferb to gather his thoughts. "The words... That was... The iambic pentameter... Oh, dear."

Graciela sent him an alarmed but inquiring look, aware that he could not see it.

Ferb explained, "That was a sonnet. The first words they spoke to each other were a sonnet. That was how Romeo and Juliet met."

As if in realization and recognition of the meaning of this, Graciela's eyes widened more and she clamped her mouth tighter. "Wait... What _did_ happen to them?" She wondered, having never read Shakespeare herself, "...And what are a sonnet?"

Graciela heard a sound come from the boy next to her which sounded a lot like a hand slapping one's own forehead in disbelief. "Should us come out now?" She inquired instead.

The door back into the main room finally opened, and in front of it stood an angry-looking Vanessa and Cansummace. "We may have to," Ferb replied, dragging the girl to their friends and taking off with them. Without looking to see if they were being followed, the four fled the building completely. Led by Graciela and Ferb, Perfeneas and Isealia sprinted around the back wing and into a wide alley. The former two stopped to catch their breath while the others looked around again for either their prosecutors or their rescuers.

"Would whomever you are please show yourself?" Perfeneas asked the air in front of him. Hesitantly, Ferb turned Graciela and himself visible; no reaction appeared on either of the experiments' faces. "Why did you take us from the test?"

"It's a long story," Graciela tried to explain with succinctness. "The point is, there's a lot more going on in this world than you two are letted to know, and we think is only fair that we tell you. Important things. Besides, neither of you is more perfect than the other; is impossible. If you take the test, the only outcome is war! We can't have this!"

She and Ferb eyed each other. "So Ferb and I are going to make an offer. It is not really a choice, if you are to prevent disaster, but we have to let you have a say. You could go back home tonight to your little houses and be perfect while everyone you know is staking their lives to prove that you are better than the person next to you. Or..." She paused. "Or you could join us. You can have a whole new life, be whole new people. No more Perfeneas and Isealia. No more competition over who is better. No more lies, and no more secrets! Ferb talked to his parents, and they said they could house two more. Isealia, I have not spoke things about this yet, but mys parents move to your Tri-State Area at the end of this summer for work. You could live with me."

"When could we see our families again?" Perfeneas asked, thinking as always about others before himself.

"That's the thing," Ferb took over, "In your case, live with me, and you will live with your family."

"How is that so?" Isealia wondered.

"Simple; I am your brother."

The redheaded experiment reacted just as one would expect. "You're my what in the who now!?"

It was not Perfeneas who said this, however; it was her sister. Cansummace stood at the mouth of the alley, next to Vanessa. The latter started leading her companion closer to the children. "Perfeneas. Cansummace. You don't remember Linda, do you?" She asked, strangely calm despite the ruckus of the angered spectators just outside the opening, looking for their competitors.

"I do," Cansummace shouted eagerly. Perfeneas declined.

"Well, for those who are not familiar, that was the name of your mother," Vanessa explained, "Then, she went and married Ferb's father, so _technically_, you are all siblings." She hesitated. "And... There's something else I have to tell you three."

"And what's that?" Another voice asked from the beginning of the now crowded alley. With a sternness only parents know how to pull off, Dr. Doofenshmirtz joined the rest of the group. "Hah! That was unexpected, right? I've been working on my entrances."

"D-Doctor!" Vanessa cried in alarm, "What are you doing? I thought you were inside."

"Well, duh, I'm looking for my daughter," Doofenshmirtz replied.

Vanessa cringed visibly. She was just going to say something that would be exponentially more awkward now that he was there, but there was no going back now. This was as good a time as any to say it. "I think it's pronounced..." She coughed sheepishly. "...Daughters."

"I'm sorry, what?" Doofenshmirtz cocked an eyebrow. "No, it's daughter. Unless they changed English in the past fifteen seconds or something…"

"No, I - what I'm saying is..." Vanessa sighed. "Do you remember Charlene?"

"Who?" Graciela inquired, trying to keep up with the conversation.

"...My ex-assistant, yeah," Doofenshmirtz explained. "You see, back when I was testing for Cansummace, I was paired up with another scientist named Charlene. She _was_ a nice person, I guess, but one day I figured out she was sabotaging me. Man, I was mad! We never saw each other again. I knew she had taken some of the DNA I was working with, but I never did figure out what she'd done with it."

"Well," Vanessa started, a hand coming to the back of her neck, "Care to take a guess?"

Doofenshmirtz thought. "She used it to create a baseball team made entirely out of cloned snakes?"

"No, it was_ me!_" Vanessa's arms flung out towards him in hysteria. "That DNA was yours, and she combined it with her own to design me! She never told me why, but... I-I'm your biological daughter."

The scientist blinked. "That was my second guess."

_Doofenshmirtz fainted!_

"He'll be fine," Vanessa quipped.

"Wait a minute..." Cansummace demanded, "If you're his daughter, and _I'm_ his daughter, then that means..." She played with her fingers, as if counting numbers in a math problem. "...Yes! I have a sister!" She wrapped Vanessa in a tight bear hug. "I've always wanted a sister."

"Get off me," Vanessa commanded, single-handedly pushing her away. "We're half-sisters."

"Sorry, I'm just excited. You know, it's not every day you get two new siblings, right?"

"That's right." The voice was not Vanessa's, however. It was much more British.

"Ferb," the black-clad teen started, leaving Cansummace's side and bending down to his eye level. She put her hands on his shoulders. "Uh... You know, this is really kind of awkward, but Cansummace just told me something. And I think it's finally time I'm able to say, I love you, too, Ferb. As the best half-step-brother ever."

Ferb looked away and nodded. His eyes closed, crestfallen, as the implications of this development had set into the air. _Speaking of Shakespeare..._ He thought. _He would go nuts._

A friendly squeeze to his shoulder and a sympathetic grin were all the comforting Ferb was going to get at that moment; there was a job that needed to be done. "Alright, now back to you two." Vanessa stood up and gestured to Perfeneas and Isealia. "You've had time. What's the decision?"

"Wait, you'm in on our plan, too?" Graciela asked.

"'You'm'? Now you're just making up words!" Cansummace laughed.

"I heard you talking about it before. The Flynn-Fletcher's said they could house two more, right? Perfeneas and Cansummace could live there with Ferb. And don't worry, I'll keep Dad company. I'm sure Mom would freak if she knew what was going on now." She crossed her arms.

Perfeneas and Isealia looked to each other. They were not completely sure what was in store for them if they moved. But if it meant Perfeneas, Cansummace, Ferb, and Vanessa being with their family (not to mention being able to continue to see each other) what was the worst that could happen? Nothing they could not handle together, they were sure; they were perfect.

The two reached for each other's hands. "We'll do it," they decided.

* * *

_~End of Part One~_


	10. Home

**¡Gasp! What's this? Fifty - no, _fifty-two_ reviews? You guys are seriously the best. Sorry about the wait, school happened and the rest is history. Happy winter - or summer, depending on where you live - solstice, and here's chapter ten of MFEO for you! (And let's all ignore the fact that 'feo' is Spanish for ugly.)**

**Review responses!**

**Phineas A: Nope. There is still plenty to go.**

**Dreadwing216: Thank you. Here it is. :)**

* * *

Flight from the testing facility had been exceptionally easy with the help of Ferb's invisibility pistol. Vanessa remained with her fainted father to explain what had happened, and to work out a system by which he and Charlene could rotate custody of her. Though it had taken some convincing, Cansummace had joined Perfeneas, Isealia, Graciela, and Ferb to the home of the latter. He hesitantly rung the doorbell to 1423 Maple Drive and waited.

A tall, quirky man answered, clear from the start that he was Ferb's father. He beamed at the boy and called inside, "Honey! Ferb has returned from his mission!" (As Linda had been a vital part of one of the government's largest-controlled experiments, she and her husband Lawrence had the special allowance to know that their son was an OWCA agent. Ferb took advantage of this to justify his two-day absence.) Lawrence turned to the small crowd at his doorstep, inviting them to come in.

No one outwardly questioned the man's sense of order when he chose to ask the group's names and intentions once they were each already through the door.

"Hello," the youngest began, "My name is Graciela and am Ferb's friend. We, ah, want to-to ask..."

The girl's request was silenced by the appearance of another woman, recognizable as a Flynn by her neatly-kept red hair. Her eyes never left Perfeneas and Cansummace once they landed on them, and she approached them cautiously. "It's been a while," she began, embracing each of her children briefly. "How are you doing?"

"We're just fine, M-Mom," Cansummace answered.

Perfeneas agreed, "I'm so glad to meet you."

Linda Flynn-Fletcher smiled sympathetically. "So, I take it you've won against that Mexican girl?"

"Well, actually, I-"

"Yes," Graciela cut Perfeneas off, "Yes, he did. I call Gr-I mean, I call myself - I-I call-" She stopped for a second to remember how the phrase worked in English, her face a deep shade of crimson. "Graciela. I am named Graciela. Work with Ferb sometimes."

"...I see. And who are you?" She asked, nodding to Isealia.

"She's my... Sister, Isabella," Graciela covered, cleverly adding another member to her fake family. "Came with me and Ferb for to escort Perfeneas here."

"Alright, then, follow me," she instructed, blissfully oblivious to the fact that Graciela and Isealia could hardly pass as cousins, let alone sisters. "You're going to love it here."

* * *

The five children toured the house, all three floors of it, making a final stop at Ferb's bedroom. It was much larger than needed for one person Ferb's age, and suspiciously, he did not take advantage of the extra space. All of his personal belongings were kept only on the east side of the room, leaving the west bare save for a collection of various - well, collectibles - which led Perfeneas to conclude that either one of his parents had a knack for antiques. Cansummace, in realization of how much she needed to be surrounded by more color, remained in a guest bedroom that was adorned in hot pink wallpaper. She loved the change so much that she immediately claimed it as her own room and was now planning about how to decorate it.

At this time, Linda and Lawrence had left the children to their own devices, the former promising pie when they were ready to come back down.

"So, I think Perfeneas will stays here, true?" Graciela suggested, noting the extra space.

Ferb nodded.

"Then we should probably tell them now, right? Would need Cansummace?"

In a denying response, Ferb moved to his closet and retrieved two items. "Close your eyes," he instructed the two successful experiments, and unsurprisingly, they obliged. First, Ferb took his stepbrother's hands - they became slightly more tense, ready to perform a wrist hold if Ferb dared try to hurt him - and raised them above his head. He calmly removed the redhead's shirt and replaced it with another. He then moved to Isealia, in his hand a garment much smaller than Perfeneas's but no less significant. Carefully, he tied the pink bow onto the bed of her hair, stepped back to Graciela, and allowed them to open their eyes.

"Look at yourselves," Graciela said, gesturing to a thin mirror near Ferb's dresser. "What do you think?"

Perfeneas and Isealia both turned and just stood there, entranced by the sudden addition of color to their attire. Never once, they realized, had they ever worn color. The only exceptions to this were the watery strands of Isealia's blue highlights and the fire that was the red of Perfeneas's hair.

Across the hallway, Cansummace was feeling the same way, surrounded by one of the things without which she nearly lost her sanity.

Isealia finally spoke. "I think it's beautiful."

Perfeneas answered, in reference to his new off-white and orange stripes, "It's certainly different. I like it! Truly, I do."

"That's good to hear," Graciela commented. "Are you ready?"

"That depends on for what we must prepare," explained Isealia.

"Yes, they are fine," the brunette concluded. She was about to continue when a wonderful aroma found its way into the room, enveloping the children and settling around them like a warm hug.

"But first," began Ferb, recognising the smell immediately, "Some pie." The others wholeheartedly agreed.

* * *

Cansummace remained inside the surprisingly bright home of the stoic Ferb Fletcher while he and his friends were finally given the chance to explore the backyard. They were saving the best for last, they reasoned, a point proven absolutely correct after only the first seconds of letting their feet rest on the green below them. Obvious care was put into the lawn's appearance, as each blade of grass was trimmed with an expertise only masters of landscaping could be expected to use. It was as green as the hair of the young boy who adored it so, if not greener.

The most prominent item in the yard, rewarding with the sight of it only those who were not distracted by the grass, was the tree. An infallible personification of its street's name, the towering maple stood strong against the back fence, contrasting the jet blue of the sky royally. Squirrels, birds, and communities of insects were proud to call the grand piece of vegetation home; it was the unrivaled monarch of the kingdom Plantae. Ferb led his companions to the base of this very tree and by doing so himself, invited the rest to sit down there.

But even Graciela was hesitant. The power held by the maple was not intimidating, though when added to the sureness with which Ferb always moved, it felt wrong at first to take command of the tree by sitting under it with him. Ferb's strong and silent ways, taken with the grace of the branches as they moved with the breeze, showed just how much the two organisms had in common. He seemed to fit exactly right with the whole yard; he was blissfully one with everything there. He walked with a certain confidence in knowing that the Earth would catch his next step. Even in the urban areas of Danville, his preference for travelling by motorbike and the skill with which he rode further demonstrated his ability to draw power, if only mentally, from the ground.

So, as not to disturb the Ferb-Earth connection, no one actually joined him at first. Perfeneas and Isealia also refrained from doing so to prevent the dirtying of their clothes.

But they all could sense that something was missing. The tree was much bigger than even Ferb could conquer himself. Graciela finally lowered herself to sit facing him, on the grass. "You two can sit, too," she informed, checking first with Ferb using her eyes. As they were expected to, Perfeneas and Isealia dropped down next to Ferb and Graciela, respectively.

"Good. That's better," Graciela began, noting the rightness of the brothers' positions under their tree. Surrounded by fire, water, and earth, she felt elevated and relieved, as if everything had just became right.

She looked to the sky as a flock of birds chirped overhead, flying freely against the bright, sun-infused cumulus clouds. She adored flight, absolutely adored it. It would bring her closer to the sun, the same sun that heats both the countries who were closer to war than her abuelita's cat was to its next nap. She felt comfortable on airplanes, one of the only places she could look down on the world despite her dismal height. She remembered the last time she flew - what was it, only two days ago? - she had felt so confident when dealing with the inexplicably monolingual policeman and flight attendant. But as soon as they touched down, she was nothing more than a girl little who can no talk English proper. As she would probably put it.

Graciela would get better. If she was going to live in America, she would learn to utterly dominate the language. She would be the best dang English-speaker in the whole dang world, dang it! And maybe she would take up street.

"So, let's see, what is first?" She wondered aloud, "Every the people will be looking for you two. You can not let them know which - who! - who you are if you are going to pull this off. So Ferb and I thinked about it, and give you new identities. Comprehend?"

Isealia and Perfeneas confirmed that they did, inwardly forgiving her mistakes.

"Well. You..." She pointed to Perfeneas. "...You go to call yourself Phineas; is the closest to your real name. And will need a surname, too."

"I have never needed a surname," the boy commented.

"Good, you do now. 'Doofenshmirtz' will attract too much attention, so should take the name of your mother - Flynn. Phineas Flynn. Sounds well."

"The alliteration makes it sound poetic," Phineas, as he was now called, agreed.

"...Will live here with your brother, Ferb, and your sister, who will be.." She snickered like the playful eight-year-old she was. "...Gertrude. Looks like a Gertrude to me."

The look Ferb shot at her screamed, "That isn't what we planned."

"Alright, Gertrude can be the middle name. She will be Candace. Is close to Cansummace, and German like your father. Candace and Phineas Flynn. It pleases me."

Phineas let this set in before asking, "What of the lovely Isealia?"

"Have already said who she will be. For now, she will pretend to be my sister and will be called Isabella. García-Shapiro is good to use in this country if you do not want to take my name. Will be my stepsister - yes, this works. Phineas Flynn, Candace Gertrude Flynn. Isabella García-Shapiro. And of course, Ferb Fletcher. What a group fun!"

"What about you, Graciela?" The now-dubbed Isabella wondered, "You're putting yourself in danger by staying with us. Would you have to change your name, too?"

That was one of the reasons Graciela had decided on another title for herself, the other being that OSBAM would have her head if and when they discovered what she had done.

"Gretchen," she announced, "I am going to be Gretchen. And my last name is common enough to keep."

"...Okay. Will we continue to see our friends?" Asked Phineas.

Gretchen sighed. "Lucky for you, your 'friends' do live around here. If they want to keep seeing you, that can be arranged. They would have to quit OSBA, though."

She faced Isabella. "But you, Isabella, you and I will both have to do new friends. Luckily, it seems that we already have two."

"That's right!" Phineas exclaimed, standing up in enthusiasm, "Ferb and I will gladly be your friends. Buford, Baljeet, Irving, Django, and Balthazar probably will, too."

Ferb, sensing that being constantly surrounded by boys would grow tiring to them, added, "Perhaps you can also join a Fireside Girls troop."

"It's decided, then," Isabella declared, sanding up as well. "We will all stay here together to prevent disaster from befalling our nations. We can do this!"

* * *

"Okay, I think I've got it down," Candace declared, getting used to her new name. "'Can', like, I can do this, and 'dace', like... Like, I can do dis!"

"That's... One way to look at it, I guess," Gretchen confirmed. After pie and an introduction to the backyard, the children headed back to Candace's room to discuss with the teen how the rest of their lives would be from that point on. At first, it felt like a big deal, moving into this new home, so much brighter than the dusky apartment, but since Perfeneas and Isealia were able to process and deal with change easily, the hard part was gaining their sister's cooperation.

"But what's with the stripes, bro? And you. Where'd you get the hair bow?"

"Disguises," Gretchen explained. "I suggest putting in a bit more... Color to your wardrobes. Ferb borrowed that hair bow from your friend Stacy, and he just had that shirt. As for Isabella, if she's going to stay in this country, you'll find a few dresses nices littles in the closet of this room that she can choose from. We've been preparing for a long time."

As Gretchen explained this, Candace began moving towards the closet and sifting through the dresses. The sizes ranged from tiny to wearable by people her age. She chose a pinafore from the middle, holding it out to the hot pink room. Ferb approached her, saying, "For clarification, I've never had to wear any of these," and nervously brushing away a few green hairs from between the pleats of the skirt.


	11. Wanted

**There goes the updating schedule... Right out the window. Anyway, first update in the fandom in 2015, yeah! At least, in my time zone, anyway. HAPPY NEW YEAR!**

**Review responses:**

**Dreadwing216: Thanks! Scroll down a little and find out.**

**BestZestGuest: Oh, there you are, anonymous reviewer whose comments never cease to inspire me. It's funny, most of the things you brought up were going to be in this chapter anyway.**

**Phineas A: Yes, now everyone has been given their canon names. We'll see how this plays out.**

**10/21/15: Awkward length warning: the following chapter is really, really short compared to the other ones.**

* * *

The sun was well into its prolonged descent toward the horizon and Doofenshmirtz was now on a mission. It was not the same kind of mission his eldest daughter was usually given, as he had committed to fulfilling this himself. Though disorganized, clumsy, and lacking in common sense, the evil scientist occasionally had the determination to pull through and achieve something worthwhile. The one and only Perfeneas was a golden example of this.

"Where. Is. He?" Doofenshmirtz demanded of the two men behind the glass. After sorting out a few things with Vanessa, he had led a charge into the elevated room. He banged a fist on a small desk. "Tell me!"

"We don't know, sir," replied one of the men calmly. "If there's anything we can do to help, please feel free to tell us."

"You controlled the simulation, you let him get away. You have to help me find my son!" Doofenshmirtz never became aggressive unless a member of his family was in danger. He knitted his eyebrows together, tight.

The other man had shaggy brown hair and an unexplainable smirk on his face, which soon grew into a small grin. "Alright, alright, we'll see what we can do. Where did you last see the kid?"

"He and a couple others fled around the corner of the building, my daughter and his best friend included. They all got away, and I couldn't see where they went. Vanessa says they left for his mother's house. Can you figure out where a Linda Flynn-Fletcher lives, mister... Pawvenmayor... Poven-Povenmeer...?" He squinted at the name on the man's ID plate.

"Povenmire," the director introduced, extending a hand towards Doofenshmirtz. The doctor did not want to accept at first, but he felt the friendliness, the familiarity, and the - empathy? - in Povenmire's voice and hesitantly shook it.

"Great. Now, find that address. I'm going to find my son, and I'm going to take him home." He turned away from the others and spoke slowly. "Forever. It will be like none of this ever happened."

* * *

Graciela peered out the closed blinds of the Flynn-Fletcher house, using two fingers to open them wide enough to see through. She did not know, yet, if there were people looking for them, but she anticipated it and was almost certain that by now there was.

She looked down and turned to face the living room. Linda and Lawrence were sitting on the living room couch, beholding the new outfits of Phineas and Isabella. The boy had been given new blue shoes and blue cargo shorts, and Isabella got on her dress, pink shoes, and a belt.

As the rest of the party began to leave the room to set up a place for the new guests to stay, Linda remained in her seat. She looked solemnly down to the seat beside her, cradling her arms together in an attempt to comfort herself. While everyone else left, Perfeneas lingered behind to see what was on her mind.

"I just... I can't believe it. It's been ten and a half years. And now..." He handed her a tissue, as she was clearly getting emotional. "Look at you. All grown up - sort of - and a national icon! I couldn't be more proud of you and your sister."

Phineas smiled. "I'm flattered to hear that."

His optimism was contagious, it seemed. "I'm just so sorry I couldn't have been there for all that time. How can I ever make it up to you two?"

The boy placed his hands over one of his mother's. "There is no need," he dismissed, "You've done so much for the both of us. We should be apologizing for not being there for you."

Linda stared at her triangular-headed son. A few seconds passed before she enveloped him in a gigantic hug. "Oh, where have you been all your life?" She wondered aloud, smiling with relief.

"I've lived in the Tri-State Area for as long as I can remember," he replied.

Linda finally pulled away, holding Phineas by the shoulders. She looked him up and down, tongue-tied. "Thank you," she stammered, "That really made me feel better."

"You're welcome," was Phineas's automatic response.

"Can you promise me something?" Linda started, "Never change, okay?"

"Well, I can't stop my body from growing."

"That's not what I mean." Of course Perfeneas would take the request literally. "What I mean is, never stop being perfect. Being you. Can you promise me that?"

Phineas considered this. Technically, he would not be the same person in composition in a few years, as somatic cells die off and are replaced, but he understood that his mother was speaking of his character. "Yes," he confirmed, "Yes, I can promise you that."

* * *

Major Francis Monogram's dread grew with each number dialed on the call he had to make. Since the agents assigned to lead Cansummace and Perfeneas through life around others all worked in his division, he had attended the test and was required to report its results to the chief executive, the Head Honcho, the very top, the President of the United States of America. Cringing with the bad news on his tongue, the major pressed 'Call'.

The President himself picked up on the second ring. "Monogram. How nice it is to hear from you," he greeted with what may have been a lick of sarcasm. "What are the results of the test? I'll be excited to hear of our Perfeneas's victory."

"See, that's the thing, sir." Monogram explained, "Perfeneas... Is gone."

"Gone?" Repeated the man on the other line, alarmed. "Elaborate."

"We don't have any leads to how it happened - all we know is that one moment, before it started, he was there; the next, zip. No Perfeneas. We can't explain it."

The President sighed heavily. "What about Isealia?" He inquired, "Is she still there?"

"Nope, the same thing happened on the Mexican side of the facility. Neither of the experiments are anywhere to be seen."

There was a pause on the other line. "Then neither one actually took the test."

"That's correct," Major Monogram confirmed.

"...And now, there is no way to know which country is superior."

A long pause. A much, _much_-too-long pause.

"I... I wish that was the case, sir."

"As do I," the President agreed. "Alright, I need you to do two things for me now. One, initiate efforts to find and return the children to their families. Do not, under any circumstances, allow them to interact. Am I understood?"

"Yes, sir," Monogram reported dutifully. "And the second?"

"The second?" The President nearly hesitated. "Monogram, your second assignment is to gather your agents and prepare them for war."


	12. Infatuated

**Back to school today. Yaaay. (My biggest problem with it is that school takes time away from writing. And life. Oh, wait, same thing! XD)**

**...And why is two updates in a week suddenly an accomplishment?**

***Random unknown reader: What do you mean, _suddenly?_***

**Review responses!**

**Dreadwing216: Well, a bunch more are coming. So do I!**

**Phineas A: Essentially, the United States vs. Mexico. Sorry if that wasn't clear.**

* * *

_Perfection is not something that can be achieved merely by practice. Rather, perfection is all-encompassing of one's life. It is an obsession. Perfection, therefore, needs to be retained. Once achieved, it will not stay without effort. The fact that they were able to keep it this long is what made Perfeneas and Isealia truly impressive._

* * *

"Isealia," Gretchen called, once again reverting to Spanish. "Er... Isabella. You're awake, right?"

The basement given to the girls for their night's stay was dark not only because of its location underground, but also because of the time. Isealia, willing to stay anywhere she was allowed, had easily agreed to sleeping in the only place available for them (Candace was very protective of her room and the boys did not have enough space to share with two more people). Gretchen had, for certain reasons, decided to stay with her friend on the surprisingly clean couches found in the dark space.

"I am present and you have my attention," Isabella replied, returning too to Spanish.

"You... You're going to be okay, right? Promise me you'll be fine? A lot happened today. It will take some getting used to."

"I will be just fine," Isabella replied. "My concern lies with your well-being."

Graciela turned over on her side. "I know you will," she whispered.

Minutes passed and the girls came slightly closer to sleep. This changed as Gretchen continued, "And, Isabella? Question. Just out of curiosity, what do you think about... Phineas?"

Isabella's eyes fluttered open. Her thoughts elevated at the very mention of the peculiar boy. Her gaze not leaving the ceiling, she replied in the only way she would think to. "He's perfect."

"I knew that, Isabella," Gretchen engaged, "But what is it you like about him so much? You obviously hold him in high respect."

"Ah, true, but who wouldn't?" Isabella asked dreamily. "Ever since I first saw his face, I knew he was different. He was just like me. I knew before I had even been told.

"One cannot deny his astounding charisma. He's a very likable person, for reasons more clear to me than water. Honestly, I am a little surprised no one else has taken the liking I had to him. Gretchen?"

By this time, young Graciela had long since fallen asleep. A quick check over the arm of the couch told Isabella that. The experiment turned around, closed her eyes, and whispered, "Buenas noches, Gretchen."

* * *

A small bed had been fashioned out of a few extra blankets and a pillow the Flynn-Fletcher's had laying around. Phineas, the gentleman that he was, declined Ferb's offer to let him take his bed and promptly created his own makeshift sleeping area.

The room was lit only by the full moon's light falling gracefully through the windows. Hardly disturbing the quiet of the night, Ferb turned. He offered, "Brother?"

That's right. They were brothers now, and both of them knew it. Ferb did not have to pretend any longer.

"I am present and you have my attention," Phineas quietly responded.

Ferb blinked. "I've been meaning to ask. Now that you've met, what is your opinion of Isabella?"

Phineas's brow furrowed a little as the boy processed his stepbrother's question. "She is perfect," was all he could think to say.

Ferb propped himself up on one arm to angle himself better, and gave Phineas a look that read a request for elaboration. Phineas got the message and continued.

"Isabella is definitely someone special. I am still gratefully surprised that we were allowed to meet. I don't know much about her yet, but as long as she is okay with it, I would like to get to know her better." He chuckled. "We are probably exactly identical, in fact, so it's likely she feels the same. I consider myself lucky."

Ferb simply nodded. He understood, and he knew Phineas did as well. The boy turned over in an act of saying, "Good night."

"Good night, Ferb," Phineas returned, feeling himself, too, turn over and attempt to get to sleep.

* * *

Late into the night, two stirrings disturbed the darkness that had enveloped the house: one, on the second floor above ground level; the other, one level below. A short, abrupt jolt of one's shoulders, a mouthful of gritted teeth on one's cringing face. Though both asleep, Phineas and Isabella were once again experiencing something entirely new.

This time, it was pain.

They did not know what was happening, let alone why, as both specimens writhed about in place. They clutched their blankets so hard their knuckles turned white. Hardly a moan escaped the children as they wriggled and jostled in their sleep. The discomfort one would feel if they were force a nose up an ear made each squirm at the bizarre transpiration. Every part of their respective bodies slammed side to side. It was a wonder they remained on their makeshift beds, or that Ferb and Graciela stayed blissfully in peace as this happened. All at once, their entire beings flailed about in an unexplainable and just as horrible pain, quiet grunts and short cries fleeing them.

Outside, a roaring summer thunderstorm cackled with lightning as stray platypuses ducked for cover beneath neighboring porches. The house provided protection from that, but nothing more.

Scientists believe that the universe was created when all matter, compacted into one tiny atom, exploded into the stars and galaxies currently known to man. More sudden than this supposed creation was the awakening of the new Phineas and Isabella. Panting more heavily than a dog after a good game of fetch, the two opened their eyes with a start. Something inside of them had just died, and much too early.

* * *

In a word, Isabella felt different. Her hands shook and fidgeted in confusion. She tried shaking her head to clear it, but only more pain registered, though less of a sharp discomfort and more of a mild headache. She pushed herself up with one arm, holding her head with the other.

She did not know how long it was she retained this position, and strangely, she realized she did not care.

She squinted about the basement, blowing stray strands of hair out of her face. Gretchen was still asleep, and at the sight of her friend Isabella felt a short-lived smile creep across her face. Then, it disappeared.

The girl shakily threw the blanket off the couch and placed one bare foot after the other onto the cold concrete ground. Why Graciela, lover of the sky, had chose to stay in such a low place bothered Isabella for a moment, but she dismissed the thought.

Taking a few minutes to right her breathing, Isabella continued to step with thin, powerful legs away from the couch upon which she had rested. Nothing was making sense right now; even she could not find any reason for what she was doing, and for this reason a great sense of dread had fallen around her shoulders.

She closed her eyes slowly, trying to decipher what had happened. Everything she remembered happening the day before added to itself, allowing the girl to awaken something peculiar within herself; pure, unbridled emotion.

Isabella sang.

_All my life was black and white  
Nothing new, nothing to rue,  
And all my goals were in sight.  
Everything so clear, like a whisper in my ear  
But that was before you.  
_  
She swung around one of the house's supporting beams. Her white dress, now being used as a nightgown, swayed along as she turned. Her voice rose only slightly as she began her ascent up the stairs.

_Now I know, now I know  
My years have never been so.  
A fake, a fraud, a dirty patch in gleaming white snow.  
Where I've been led in my short life is nothing more than a lie...  
Thanks for opening my eyes._

Upstairs, Phineas sat up quickly. Beads of sweat formed at the top of his head, which he brushed off only to find he had acquired a headache. He looked over to Ferb, who was still sleeping soundly. Why Ferb, lover of the earth, was given a room on the top floor of the house bothered Phineas briefly, but other questions quickly took its place. How, for example, could he have still been sleeping after what had happened to his brother? What _had_ happened to him?

Phineas slowly stood up, stretched, and gazed out the window to notice thousands of raindrops splattered against it. Each one reflected his needle-shaped face. He had no idea what was going on, but something inside of him had opened up and compelled him to do something interesting. He had felt so free now. He looked down, and turned away.

Phineas sang.

_Each of my days were meant to amaze  
And as they did, I thought they rid  
The world of bad ways.  
Living in ignorance and thinking it brilliance  
All that was before you.  
_  
Phineas moved towards the door, grasping its handle and silently swinging it open to face the hallway. The loose-fitting pajamas he was given were pushed back swiftly by the momentum of the door opening as lightning struck outside the window behind him, effectively backlighting the boy. He raised his voice slightly as he began his descent down the stairs.

_Now I'm sure, now I'm sure  
This world is so much more.  
A race, a chase, a disgrace you think you're looking for.  
What I've been taught in my short life resulted from a bit of spite...  
Thanks for giving me that light.  
_  
Phineas strode towards the source of the other voice he heard; Isabella did the same. At once, the two burst into each other's view as they faced opposite sides of the living room. Finally seeing each other again momentarily distracted them from whatever they had previously experienced, but they continued their song with just as much passion.

The two took turns singing the next stanza, with Isabella taking the lead and Phineas answering her on every other line.

_And everything is different  
(Yes, everything changed.)_

_It used to be so easy...  
(...When life was but a game.)_

_Look into my open eyes!  
(I shall see your brilliant light!)_

_And help me, please, to find the truth  
(Hidden from me before you...)_

Phineas and Isabella shared the next line, pressing their hands against those of their partner and taking one step forward each with the foot on their respective rights. They closed their eyes and pronounced the last words slowly, as if trying to make them last forever.

_Beee-fooore... You..!  
_  
Slowly, each pair of hands moved as appropriate to clasp the one in front of them as the two held the last note. As a result of this, their lips were already in the position necessary for what they had both expected to happen next. It was Isabella who moved in first...

From behind a corner came the faint, dark yellow glow of a flashlight and the shadow of a tall, rectangular figure. "Hello, Isabella? Was that you I heard?" Asked the shadow, and the children snapped to the sound, grasping each other for protection.

"Run," Phineas whispered urgently. The two scampered back to their rooms, more afraid than they had ever been in their lives. Their endocrine systems learned what adrenaline was.

* * *

Isabella did not stop until she was safely thrown onto the couch by her own momentum; she grabbed the blanket tight. Her breathing was rapid and unsteady, just loud enough to be heard above her beating heart.

"Isealia, are you okay?" Inquired a concerned Graciela in jumbled Spanish, reaching around for her glasses. She pushed them up her nose, folded her arms over one of the couch's, and waited for a response.

* * *

"...I'll be fine." Phineas looked towards the front of the bedroom, letting Ferb see his slightly distressed and much-more-emotional-than-normal profile. "But, it's..." The boy looked down for a second, then sheepishly met his brother's eyes. "It's Phineas now."

* * *

**...Yup. Ah went there. Hey, I don't know what it's like from the reader's perspective, but writing that song gave me a real _Frozen_ vibe. What do you guys think?**


	13. Confused

**Hi, everybody! Back with another chapter. Also, I am grateful to announce that as of now, this story has sixty-six reviews, exactly two over my favorite number. I can't say enough how thankful I am for everyone who's supported me all this way. What's that? Do I see seventy? ...Seventy-five? Well, guess I better respond to some of them.**

**Review responses:**

**Dreadwing216: I'm glad you did!**

**Phineas A: Ditto. I will try to.**

**Guest: (Hey, look - your hypothesis was right!) Really? I thought the title was rather corny, but I'm happy someone likes it. I agree that perfection is a difficult concept to grasp fully, but if the events concerning the children's perfection in the last chapter were not clear, they should be after reading this one. Also, yeah - one thing that has has bothered me is the fact that hardly anyone acknowledges the canon existence of Mr. Shapiro, and my theory as to why is that it allows authors to make potentially angsty stuff up about him that can ultimately lead to Phinabellaness. Blah.**

* * *

Agent P watched the events of that day carefully from above. His OWCA equipment allowed him to get a bird's eye view of everything that happened. He chose not to intervene for his own reasons, a trust in Agent Ferb being one of them. Perry had been spying on the boy for a while after Monogram had noticed his suspicious composure, and after learning of Ferb's true intentions, Perry had learned to agree with the plan. He convinced Monogram that Ferb's behavior was not a legitimate cause for concern and it had not been a problem since.

He never intended to keep less than one eye on Perfeneas and Isealia, but a message from the major demanded his attention. "Good evening, Agent P," the man greeted, lighting up the face of Perry's wrist communicationizer. Through the foliage of the maple tree where Perry was riding out the storm, the device was the only source of light his eyes had to adapt to. It might have been the hour at which Monogram was calling that caused his eyes to have a less-than-energetic look about them, as Perry hoped it was; if Monogram looked out of it as a result of the mission he was about to recieve, it had to have been bad. He chattered in greeting, saluting with the hand that was not occupied with the watch.

"I'm guessing you've seen what's happened today, correct?" Perry nodded. "Alright. I'm putting you in charge of returning Perfeneas to his family. Keep him safe, be sure not to let him anywhere near Isealia. These orders come from the top, remember."

Perry tore his eyes from his superior and gazed solemnly at the house. It was much too late for that, and he had no intention of returning the boy to Doofenshmirtz - Phineas deserved better.

Monogram frowned. "They've already met, haven't they?" He deduced from his best agent's stare. "Agent P, answer me. Did you let them meet? How much do they know?"

Angrily, Perry aimed his attention back at the device and turned it off quickly, hanging up. Perfeneas was more important than OWCA this time.

* * *

Ferb gently but firmly shook his stepbrother into consciousness. The redhead hardly stirred, but Ferb was patient; he sat back on his heels as Phineas got up and clutched his forehead. His eyes slowly opened, and shock registered on his face. "Whe-Where are we? Where's Isabella?" He asked in alarm, looking rapidly about the room. "Oh, we're - I'm... How did we get back here? Why am I in bed again? Ferb..." He looked down at himself in confused shock, as if trying to find out who exactly he was. His eyes met Ferb's again and he curiously implored, "What's going on?"

Ferb shook his head. "I see Queen Mab hath been with you," he referenced. "It was just a dream."

"No," Phineas declined simply, "Dreams are fictional scenarios designed by your brain to keep your subconsciousness occupied as it sorts out the events of the past day, deciding what to remember and what to disregard. I don't dream because I never forget anything. That... That was terrible. Don't you remember? How those scientists came to take Isabella and I away, and they made us fight? I had to... Leave you for good... So how'd we get back here?"

Ferb crawled closer to his brother, putting his hands on Phineas's shoulders. "Perfeneas, get a hold of yourself," he cooed, "You're right, that was no dream; it was a nightmare. You're okay now, just a little late."

Phineas exhaled. "I told you last night, Ferb," he muttered, just clearly enough for his brother's comprehension. "It's Phineas now. Like you said, Perfeneas is... _Late._" He inspected the stitching on the blanket covering him, noticing that the two boys were both still in their pajamas. "I'm not... I-I..." He was whispering now. "I'm not p-perf-fect anym-more."

It was still tremendously hard to believe. He got changed in the upstairs bathroom, then followed Ferb downstairs, one question occupying his subconscious mind: What was he going to tell Isealia?

* * *

"So, why are we here again?" Candace inquired, "Won't they kind of be looking for us, out here in the open?"

"Well, that's the thing. They'll be looking for us at Ferb's house; they not expect you to be here in the park," Gretchen explained, "The point is, Ferb's house is the worst possible place for us to be right now. Just try to blend in for a while, maybe make some new friends."

Candace groaned, then stalked over to a park bench and muttered, "I still think this is a bad idea." She did not get a good look at the guitar played sitting next to her, nor did she care to. He grimaced as the string he was tuning popped out.

"Darn, why does that keep happening?" He thought aloud. Candace turned, finally acknowledging the teen next to her. He was actually rather good-looking.

"Hey, need some help with that?" She offered, not knowing how she could be of service. "I play the bass. That happens to me _all _the time."

He looked to his side to face her. "No, that won't be necessary; I got it." He took out a guitar case and placed the acoustic in it. Zipping it shut, he continued. "Isn't that the worst though? Right when you think you have the right note, it just goes and snaps on you." He hefted the case off his lap and extended a hand. His mouth opened for an introduction, but it never got the chance to leave his lips.

His interruption was the arrival of a young blonde girl who could not have been any older than five. "Come over here and play wit' us!" She invited, grabbing one of his hands with both of hers. "Come on, we need a bad guy if we'a gonna play pwetend. Patty's waiting for us, leh's go!"

"Wait, easy, tiger," the guitarist dismissed, standing up slowly and looking back at Candace. "Sorry, my little sister's pretty enthusiastic sometimes."

"Oh, that's alright, I hear you," Candace returned with a relatable wave of her hand. "My little brother drives me crazy. Candace, by the way."

"Jeremy, who is this?" The little girl wondered, finally stopping to get a good look at the redhead. "Hey, you could be the bad guy!" Candace could not decide which was more pointy: the girl's stare or her finger, which was currently being shoved into her face. "A witch will be _much _better than an evil wizard."

"No, Suzy, I'll come play with you," Jeremy chided, standing up.

"Wait, no, I'll come too," spoke the other teen; she had taken a liking to this Jeremy. Suzy inspected her with a slightly suspicious look, then accepted the offer.

"Alright, we got a witch _an'_ an evil wizard!" She shrieked in excitement to some of her friends, who came running off the playground. "Get them!"

"What the-?" Candace started as foam balls launched from toy guns pelted her from all sides.

* * *

"Well, that was hard enough," Gretchen mumbled to Ferb. "Getting everyone to cooperate, I mean. Could no have did it without you."

Ferb nodded his agreement, saying the same about her without actually saying it.

"Now, I don't know if noticed Phineas is acting different, but Isabella is. Something bad happened last night, and she not is perfect anymore! I really don't get it, or know what happened."

Ferb paused. "Is Phineas the same way?" He nodded again.

"As I suspected. Ferb, what are we going doing?" She craned her neck to look across the park. "Look at them. They do not know what to do with themselves now. I'm so sorry for them. Where - I mean, when is your associate go to be here?"

The boy checked his wrist communicationizer, scrolling through written messages he had received late the night before. A fellow OWCA agent had contacted him, claiming to know about their problem and that he wanted to offer his aid. At first, Ferb was suspicious, but some research confirmed that the agent was OWCA one of OWCA's most trusted. Whoever it was told Ferb to meet him at Danville Park, and since the boy had nowhere better to be, he took Graciela and the others there at the requested time and hoped it was not a trap.

Shortly after, a tall, brown-haired teen wearing a fedora approached. "Agent Ferb," he greeted.

The younger boy recognized the man's composure and his hat. His blink asked silently, "Are you the person we're expecting?"

At the mysterious teenager's signal, numerous animals emerged from the surrounding forest, all wearing hats; this was enough of an answer. "Monty Monogram," he introduced, holding up a badge. The animals advanced. "I'm sorry, but I'm here to arrest you. Your insubordination of the O.W.C.A. leaders and dishonesty to the organization did not go unnoticed nor forgiven." Monty, clearly reluctant, withdrew one pair of handcuffs and stepped toward the boy.

Alarmed, Ferb searched the barrier created by his fellow agents for an escapable chink. From behind, a dog on two legs grabbed him and tried to pin him down, and he instinctively turned and swiped the housepet's paws off his back. His peripheral vision allowed him to see a panda attempt this on his left, and using a side kick, he swept him away as well. "You can't do this," Gretchen complained to Monty, defending her friend. Ferb shoved off a frog, "Out here in the park, people can see us. You're blowing your cover and giving your organization a bad name." A beaver received a painful wrist hold and Ferb continued to move around, fending off his fellow agents and coworkers. Gretchen held her hands up to hide in the relative safety found under them.

"On the contrary, miss," Monty explained, "We're just doing our job, protecting the Tri-State Area from evildoers - _and _rogue agents. If anything, we're promoting OWCA." He continued to step in, trying to get Ferb handcuffed. "I just can't believe Ferb would be one of them."

Sensing her friend was truly in danger, Gretchen stepped in to pry a duck off Ferb's back. "Some associate you got there, huh?" She whispered, taking down a pig. Ferb frowned at her and grabbed a snake by its neck, shoving it off.

Unfortunately, Monty's backup had brought backup. Within seconds, both children had become buried in animals trying to keep them still. Held down by the agents Ferb was more used to spending a lunch break with than trying to escape, he scowled at the son of his superior. Gretchen, for trying to protect him, had no better luck. She squirmed a bit, but could not free a limb.

Monty opened up the handcuffs more menacingly than he had thought, and his mouth opened; then, he froze. "Ow, what was that?" He demanded, turning once he was able to to face whoever had attacked him. This motion caused him to walk straight into a flash of teal in the form of a punch to the face. Grasping his irregular nose and dropping the handcuffs in the process, Monty fell to his knees. From behind him emerged an anthropomorphic platypus, fedora donned.

Ferb's eyes doubled in size. He recognized that shade of tangerine anywhere. He was briefly bothered by the fact that he never knew of Perry worked for the same organisation he did, but his focus was soon diverted when the monotreme began freeing his hands. He shook off the agents holding his legs down and sent Perry a look.

Agent P's return glance read, "I'll explain everything later." Trusting his brother's pet, Ferb stood up to help free Gretchen. The three fled into the adjacent woods and left the animals behind.

Once in deep enough, they stopped to catch their breath. Ferb finally met Perry's gaze and blinked reassuringly. He then looked down again, breathing, "We're so fired."


	14. Captured

**So, who else is pumped for AYA finally airing in English? I've already seen parts of it, and the characters' voices are crazy! So excited.**

**Review responses!**

**Dreadwing216: Ah, that's the question, isn't it?**

**Guest: Yeah, actually, it was always my plan to have them deteriorate. That's what the constant "Romeo and Juliet" references were for. Also, I wonder if you noticed the irony when you said 'perfect shape'. Graciela's plan to take them to the park was really so that they could meet Perry there, but you do have a point. I guess no one immediately noticing them is a little plot hole... But remember, obliviousness runs throughout the entire Tri-State Area.**

**I do however have to disagree with you on the Blastoise thing. In-game, that might work, but you don't typically want Physical and Special moves on one set in competitive play. I would replace Surf with Hydro Pump and EQ with HP Ground if the coverage is what you want - then you can invest in Sp. Attack. Then again, Charizard would never survive Rock-type moves unless it had the Charizardite X and... Wait, wait, what fandom are we in?**

**Phineas A: Well, they're not that far away. Monty would be a problem (I'm a Ferbnessa. I have to antagonize him in some way. ^^) but Perry probably scared him off by now.**

* * *

"Would Sr. and Sra. Guerrero please report to the main entrance?"

A shaky and justifiably freaked Dra. Garía-Shapiro, along with her husband and the two people controlling the Mexican side of the testing room, were awaiting the couple. The conversation that ensued was spoken in flawless Latin American Spanish.

"There you are!" Vivian observed, speaking at eighty miles per hour, "We need your help. Isealia's missing and no one can find her anywhere. She could be across the Tri-State Area by now! Graciela was closest to her; do you know where she is?"

The MOWCA agent's father snapped to attention. "That's the thing. We don't know, exactly - OSBAM took her in for a special mission two days ago." Realization struck. "Do you suppose that had anything to do with it?"

"It couldn't have," one of the directors stated. "OSBAM was controlling the experiment, and they would _not _pull something like what just happened. All of Isealia's other agents were there."

"That doesn't give us many leads, then," Graciela's mother concluded. "But the same thing that made Perfeneas disappear has to be what took Isealia. Right?"

"Then we have to find both of them!" exclaimed Sr. Shapiro, "If we don't..." He stopped. "I don't want to think about it."

"But we don't know where either of them are," the other one of the commanders noted. "Besides, there are probably search teams out there looking for Perfeneas, and we can't run into them."

"Well, we can't just do nothing," Sr. Shapiro chided. "Wait, can you get in touch with OSBAM? We can send agents to look for them, and no one will suspect anything because they're children. I mean, they are already here, in the United States. What do you think?"

"I don't know... Aren't they a little young to go undercover on foreign soil in the midst of what is almost a war?" Inquired the first director.

Graciela Guerrero's parents exchanged looks. "Yes, yes they are," they responded simultaneously.

* * *

"Hey, are not you the _ornitorrinco_ that was at the house of Doofenshmirtz?" Graciela inquired, looking Perry up and down. He closed his eyes and nodded. "So, you work for OWCA." She looked to Ferb. "Do you knew about this?"

Ferb threw his hands up in an exaggerated shrug that showed he had no clue.

"Huh. So what just happened?"

Perry then executed a series of complicated motions and gestures, each of which Ferb understood perfectly as language.

"Hey, wait," Gretchen interrupted, "Guys, I don't know what you do say. I do not speak silence. Can hardly speak English."

"OWCA's against us, and because Perry left the tracker on his fedora on, now they know where we are," Ferb summed. Perry shrugged sheepishly at his mistake.

"Alright, well, we ought to do something about Phineas and Isabella. Someone's go to see them and want to take them back."

Ferb nodded again. Gretchen and Perry followed him out of the area where the trees were densest, the platypus reverted back to his four-legged disguised stance, and the three quickly found Isealia conversing with a group of five girls around Gretchen's age.

The MOWCA agent stopped short. She recognized those outfits immediately, and knew it was not in her best interest to interact further with them. Isabella turned, hearing Ferb and Gretchen approaching.

"Hey, Gretchen," she cooed, "Ferb. What are you..." She shuddered for some reason, unsure why the phrase was so difficult to enunciate. "...Doing?" It felt unnatural, almost, perhaps because of her new flawed state. Maybe she would find out exactly why later.

"Isabella! What are _you_ doing with t-them?" She had not realized that in her alarm she had fallen back into Spanish. "Get away from them, they're going to take you away from us. We have to go!"

Surprisingly, no one moved after this. Graciela finally got a good look at who she thought were her ex-companions back at the M.O.W.C.A., realizing that they were not the same girls at all. It showed on her face.

"O-Oh," she realized, using English again. "H-Hi, who are you?" She asked sheepishly.

Isabella introduced the group: "Gretchen, this is Adyson, Ginger, Katie, Milly, and Holly. They are a Fireside Girls troop, if their yellow- brown uniforms didn't give it away."

"Ah. Nice to meet you," Gretchen greeted, embarrassed. "But really, Isabella, we should be to go. Let us find Phineas."

"Okay," Isabella giddily agreed, then turning to the Fireside Girls, continued, "I guess I'll see you all around."

The three children and the platypus fled the scene. "You know," the girl known as Adyson began, "Isabella looked awfully... Familiar. What do you guys think?"

The other girls shrugged, but showed no signs of objection. They had definitely seen her before.

* * *

Doofenshmirtz was hot on the trail of the missing experiments. He would never admit it, but Misters Povenmire and Marsh had been exceptionally helpful. Some commotion involving a group of fedora-wearing animals and a few adolescents stirred in the east side near the thick brush of Danville Park, where the trail had led, but other than that, everything seemed normal.

The three spotted Perfeneas all too easily - he was hard to miss, even in the crowd. Yet Doofenshmirtz had somehow failed to recognize him at first, due to his disguise.

"Hey, you look kinda familiar," the scientist noticed, and Phineas turned. His already large eyes bloated to the size of watermelons, realizing his father had finally found him. Then he relaxed, noting that his pursuer somehow could not recognize his own son in stripes.

He chose not to speak, as doing so might have given his identity away fully.

"So, what's a regular triangle-headed boy doing out here by yourself?" Doof wondered. "You know, I'm looking for someone who sort of looks like you, in a way. Name's Perfeneas. Seen him around?"

Marsh approached quickly and announced, "Fool! You're looking at him! That's Perfeneas right there." He came from behind, grabbing the boy's arms in a firm but not uncomfortable way. "Come on, kid, you've got some work to do."

Phineas grunted slightly in resistance. He looked to Doofenshmirtz with pleading eyes, unsure for the first time in his life if there was anything he could do.

Doofenshmirtz finally recognized the face of his son and gasped. "Perfeneas the triangle-headed boy!?"

Nearby, Mr. Povenmire could be seen facepalming.

* * *

"Wait... Where are Candace and Phineas?" Graciela wondered aloud, scanning the park for her friend. Ferb and Perry stood beside her, doing the same. Isealia, though only a few feet behind a moment ago, could not be heard as a second group of girls - nearly identical to the ones met earlier - ambushed her. Their light grey sashes and berets matched Graciela's stitch by stitch, proudly displaying their loyalty to MOWCA. They took no notice of their former leader as they worked.

The experiment tried shouting for help, but Asención's hand muffled any audible words. The noises that escaped were just enough to draw the attention of Ferb and Gretchen, however, who immediately sprung into action. Unfortunately, due to their lack of numbers and technology the MOWCA girls were equipped with, it was relatively easy for the Mexican team to make off with their prize.

* * *

"W-What are you doing to me?" Phineas stammered. He had been blindfolded and locked up for almost a half an hour by now, and was now impatient for answers. This new emotion was not one for which he held any kind of fondness.

The room he was placed in was unmistakeable. The white of the walls and floor were nearly blinding, but he had gotten used to the color - it was his own bedroom back at the apartment. The only other person there was Dr. Doofenshmirtz, his arms crossed in a disappointed fashion.

* * *

Isabella assessed the situation. Somehow, while the MOWCA agents had her blindfolded, she had ended up back in her house in Mexico - more specifically, in her brilliantly lit bedroom. The only difference was that now, a steel table was placed in its center, and she was resting on it. Her wrists and ankles were bound to this table by metal buckles that would prevent any movement.

She looked up. "Mamá," she questioned, "¿Qué estás haciendo?"

* * *

Doofenshmirtz glared at Phineas. "I trapped you," he started. "You could figure it out."

Phineas said nothing.

"Well - I guess I'll be able to tell you. You see, kiddo, what happened yesterday was definitely _not _what I had in mind. I was thinking maybe going in there, watching you win, and then going out to get some lunch or something. We had a gosh-darned reservation, Perfeneas! A reservation! You kind of let me down back there."

* * *

"Just rest assured that whatever happened, it's all over now," Dra. García-Shapiro insisted, in her native tongue. "You won't have to worry about anything you poor thing have went through. Still..."

Vivian shook her head solemnly at the ground. "It wasn't my decision, and I want you to know I love you very much. But the government still needs you to take the test." She extracted from her pocket a syringe filled with unidentifiable liquid. "This will help you. It will help you a lot."

* * *

Phineas eyed his restraints. They would not give, and he surely did not like where this was going. "Is that not considered unfair?" He inquired, choosing his words carefully.

"Well, of course it is!" Doofenshmirtz replied. "I'm only an evil scientist."

The boy gasped. His own father? Evil? How had he never seen it before? "That doesn't matter though. On top of some - improvements - you see, this..." He motioned to the syringe.

* * *

"...Will erase your memory of the past twenty-four hours," Vivian concluded. "You won't remember anything from that time, so nothing you learned can be used against you."

Isabella could only stare at the serum, as she could not tell her mother of her newfound imperfection. The woman gently advanced, coming to the right side of the experiment and withdrawing the needle.

* * *

"Hold still," Doofenshmirtz instructed menacingly. Phineas gulped. There was no longer an ounce of trust Phineas was willing to put into his father.

* * *

Perfeneas and Isealia did not do what they were told.

Though the scientists were aiming for their children's right shoulders, the needles penetrated right at the base of their necks.


	15. Conflicted

**Woo-wee, it's been awhile. Sorry, life's been taking its toll on me lately, but I have found the time to put this together, so I'm grateful!**

**Review responses:**

**Dreadwing216: Precisely. Mwahaha.**

**Phineas A: Really? So have I! What is happening here?**

**Guest: Hm... You had me for a minute there! Anyway, I can assure you that I planned the events of this chapter before your review, which as you'll see makes you really good at predicting things. I use that back-and-forth style in this story to indicate something very important to the plot, i.e. Perfeneas' and Isealia's perfection deteriorating at the end of Chap. 12, and I'm glad someone picked up on that. Also, I know it's been like a month, but I specifically remember eating a chocolate-chip cookie when I got that review. Timing, huh? Yeah... I remember the randomest things...**

**On the Blastoise-Charizard front, I was mostly talking about competitive battling last time. Admittedly, I've only just gotten really into the metagame mid-Gen V, so I can't say for sure which would work better in that atmosphere. Again, in-game, sure, the water starters are convenient for Surf, Waterfall, etc., but Charizard has access to Fly (unless you're playing Red/Blue). I could go much further into the subject, but this isn't really the time nor place for it. (And I wonder how many people actually know what we're talking about...) It's just a matter of preference, really.**

**[Other] Guest: This is not over. As you can probably tell.**

**Obviously I need to be more unpredictable. Let's begin anyhow, shall we?**

* * *

Phineas looked up, opening his eyes with the caution of an ameteur loin tamer. He was still in his room, but his buckles were removed; he was lying on his side on the carpet, instead of on the table. The boy got up, scanning the room for another person. His behavior felt unnatural somehow, as if something had been added to it. Something... Dirty? Tough? What _was _this sensation? It tormented him. He grabbed locks of his fiery red hair, frustrated at its obscurity.

Why was he doing this? What did he have to gain by causing pain to himself? Was this what it meant to not be... Perfect?

Phineas closed his eyes, trying to sort everything out. Today was Wednesday, July the second. He had always known the exact date and time.

Yesterday - Tuesday, the first day of July - had marked his turning ten years and seven months old. He remembered being brought to a certain facility to compete against someone else who was perfect, then being taken from it by someone unexpected... Ferb and Graciela, it was those two! The first had revealed his status as Phineas's brother, and... Wasn't there someone else there, who also confirmed they were his family?

Phineas shook his head. The name Victoria came to mind, but that couldn't be the one. It started with a V, he knew that much. Veronica? Valerie? No...

He dismissed it, choosing instead to wrack his brain for what came next. Ferb had played a role, and his family...

No; they were his family now too. Candace, Ferb, Ferb's father (What did his name start with?), his own mother...

His mother! How could he forget meeting Linda? And the promise he made to her about always staying perfect?

_Yeah, you blew that, bozo._

Phineas stopped in simultaneous shock and disgust. Where did _that_ come from? He had not heard it aloud, yet the sentence had to have come from somewhere. the speaker was somehow voiceless; he could not for the life of him discern the individual sound pattern that could identify who had spoken. Perhaps, this was what 'thinking' felt like.

Phineas's brain capacity was so astoundingly high that his mind was always processing whatever his senses had supplied it, in addition to everything else he had ever learned or experienced. This breakthrough in human cerebration allowed him to instantly access any specific piece of information demanded by the situation. Therefore, thinking individual thoughts in word form seemed excessive and ultimately unnecessary. (This alone created skepticism galore of the fact that Doofenshmirtz actually was one of the DNA donors that led to his creation. If that man ever had a viable thought, it probably came to him in the form of a rambly inner monologue.) If anything, free thought had the potential to soil Perfeneas's mind, reasoned those behind his creation; it would fill him with human desires and possibly flawed logic. It had to go.

All this considered, Perfeneas had never formulated a 'thought' before. Or at least not one similar to those he had read or heard about. He inferred exactly what they were and how they sounded and the purpose they served with the highest accuracy, but actually experiencing them was extremely unfamiliar territory.

Of all things that surprised him about doing so, however, what stood out the most was the diction. Apparently, his thoughts needed a lesson on manners, and as soon as physically possible. Besides, no one had used the word 'bozo' in eons.

He did blow it though, and he knew it. The scar it had left on him was emotional and physical - he brought a hand up to the area where his neck met his shoulders, and felt the spot where the needle was injected. It was a good thing he had Isealia, his shoulder to cry on, his confident and comforter.

Phineas's face lit up at the very thought of her name. Isealia was still out there somewhere. Unlike him; he was taken away, and had lost his perfection. The memory of the procedure alone was enough to bring back one of those new feelings, the one known as fear.

Wait again! Was he not supposed to forget all that he had done in the past day? That was what the serum was supposed to do, on top of some 'improvements', whatever those were supposed to be. He figured those would make themselves apparent in due time.

The reason behind the serum's failure came to him immediately; his photographic and audiographic memory prevented amnesia or memory loss of any kind.

Did that mean that he still had at least some of the qualities that made him perfect before? It was possible. After all, if he had lost every trace of what was found in his perfect state, he would be quite literally the worst person in the world.

And what was this burning feeling?

He had heard of heat before, but like thought, he had never been able to fully experience it. Everything generated heat, of course - everything except that which read zero degrees on the Kelvin scale, or absolute zero, but that was impossible under natural conditions - so technically speaking, he had been constantly exposed to it throughout his entire life. He had just never felt it for himself. Likewise, even in the harshest of winter days shovelling the driveways and sidewalks of the Tri-State Area, cold was also foreign to his sense of touch. Why was simple: feeling temperature changes would only hinder his motivation to work in the extremes. His body responded to the changes by itself - he perspired when hot, and shivered when cold - but only felt the numbing nothingness on top of his perfectly sharp sense of touch.

Phineas began counting the new revelations he had gained the ability to experience. Now he finally was able to feel the molecules of which his body was composed, vibrating rapidly, almost humming in their new freedom, and his clothes sticking to his skin. Heat - if that was what this was - was exhilarating! Everything in the room seemed to be so bright and possess so much energy. He could finally feel the movement of the world around him and what had made it so great to just... _Exist._ The hot air was clear and dry as he took it in, refreshing his senses and finally making him feel like he was home. If this was what being imperfect meant, he almost would not mind getting used to that world.

Still... This air... Its dryness, though once smile-inducing, was frighteningly familiar. It felt entirely and exactly like...

_Oh, no._

No, the room he was in was not his at all. Slowly, the boy's gaze climbed a particular wall, following it until it reached the ceiling. He focused on his senses, willing them to retain some of their sharpness they possessed during perfection, and if it did not work he would never had noticed.

The dimensions in this room were almost identical to those of his own. However, the longer two sides of the rectangle were extended an extra inch.

Also, the walls were holographic.

The youth steeled his face, cautiously approached the wall, raised his left hand...

...And shoved it right through. The image flickered a moment before vanishing completely, revealing the hundreds of empty bleachers behind it.

"Congratulations, Perfeneas," came a Drusselstinian accent from the testing room's control center. "You've passed the first trial."

* * *

Mentally, Ferb listed everything that had gone wrong in the past few days.

Getting to Isealia and taking her safely to Perfeneas had gone smoothly enough, but that was where his fortune ended. In retrospect, he felt the enormous clarity with which their sonnet had indicated the wisdom of the decision he did not make, to stop interfering the second the poem ended. Now, their perfection was extinguished, he, Perry, Graciela, and likely Irving were out of their jobs, and there was no idea at all in his mind where the experiments could be.

There was also the small matter of the object of his infatuation being his sister.

His _sister_.

Who, in a matter of only three years at this point, would be eighteen and, in all likeliness, ready to make her leave Danville for college - as if his crush wasn't illegal enough! How could he have been so weak, have made such an error? And yet, with each look he stole of her, with each resounding thought of her name, a little bit of Ferb smiled inside. She made him happy.

Part of Ferb insisted it was best to forget about the whole thing, but another began to wonder if he was onto something. If he could somehow get into contact with Vanessa, she could probably find Doofenshmirtz - and at this point, finding Doofenshmirtz was one step closer to finding Phineas. Her aid in the situation would be extremely helpful, considering her physical strength and athletic skill, which he knew far surpassed his own, ignoring the brutal age difference. Or perhaps that was just his bias talking...

Ferb's attention was diverted by a gentle tug on his pant leg. he looked down to spot Perry, who pointed to the edge of the park. As if reading his mind, the person on the jet-black motorbike at the location indicated was none other than Vanessa Doofenshmirtz herself, awaiting his arrival.

_The best half-step-brother ever…_

Looks like he had some thinking to do.

The teen's smile upon his arrival was so gentle, so sympathetic. For one dreadful moment he wondered why she had even bothered with him in the first place, but her next sentence reminded him exactly why:

"Come on," she invited with that beautiful voice, "We've got a brother to find."

* * *

It had been an eventful half hour. Isabella had successfully figured out and proved that she was not actually in her room, but the testing facility that she was taken from only the day before. That was how she had seemingly gotten to Mexico so fast. Knowing the danger of taking the test now, the majority of her mind was focused on the next escape plan rather than the task at hand. If her supervisors were perfect, they may have noticed this, but their imperfection blinded them from hers.

Trial after trial passed, Isabella's slipups and mistakes being primarily microscopic. After a while, an idea formed: she was not perfect anymore, so why not blow the test and allow Perfeneas to become the victor? She did not even have to fail that badly; a solitary stumble during the mile run would do, or a mispronunciation in her foreign language fluencies. French was newest to her, so if she made the error believable...

Isabella turned, alert, as the walls changed once again, this time placing her in a simulated mountainous terrain. On the plane where she stood were shallow lakes of decent size, with occasional rock features protruding out of them. Said features were circular, about five to six feet in diameter, she determined, and flat on top (only about a foot of them were actually visible), producing multiple platforms across which she was undoubtedly expected to jump.

Isabella leapt a good five feet out of her skin when a large pillar of simulated lightning crashed down in front of her, landing in the holographic water. Four or five other lightning bolts also struck the water's surface, illuminating the shallow basin and electrifying it. If one stepped anywhere into the lake while this was happening, they would also get electrocuted, due to water's ability to conduct electricity.

This could be Isabella's chance to put Phineas ahead; gracefulness, she noticed, was one of the first things to go after she lost perfection. Timing every move just right, she took a short running start and nearly flew onto the first rock platform.

Her train of thought concerning throwing the test hit a couple of bumps and then screeched off the tracks completely. She could not be held responsible for the failure of everyone behind her, who put so much effort into her existence. She was made to be perfect, and felt as though she owed the win to everyone in her country for that. She could not let them down, no matter what was happening in her life at the moment. Besides, what would Perfeneas think? If she messed up once, he would surely learn, and then he would learn of her imperfection. She could make a case that she was doing it to save the lives of people, but still - unless Phineas got the same idea, rendering both experiments failed and war anyway - he would figure it out. It was as if there was no right answer - and she dreaded the feeling.

Swiftly, Isabella turned again and continued jumping from platform to platform, landing lightly on her toes as thunder waves occasionally jolted her out of her senses.

The girl rounded a corner created by a large protrusion of the rocks in the face of the mountain, spotting the objective: a small yellow flag, pointy and triangular in shape. _So triangular..._ She mused, _And so acute..._

Another blast of electricity snapped the experiment out of her thoughts, causing the surrounding water to crackle and sizzle just as it did. The image of her possible failure briefly flashed across her mind, but she pushed the picture away as quickly as she could. Was she perfect? No. But Isabella was still strong. Nothing could deter her from any goal. She was able, confident, and always ready, no matter what the challenge was. Isabella had seen lightning before (just last night, in fact) and it had never done her wrong in the past, so what was to fear now? She would rise above this.

And _nothing_ could bring her down!

Isabella leapt again. Something in the back of her mind reminded her that lives were at stake, and she could save them. She could throw it. It was just a little simulation, right? Would providing the countries with a victor not prevent this outbreak of war? Whatever the case, if Perfeneas ended up winning, it would be because Isabella chose to let him. She would be sure of it.

Another jolt, another jump, and another change of heart. She could easily save the many lives on the line, but with what consequences? If she lost on purpose, Perfeneas would win. America would win. And what was wrong with that? For some reason, Isabella was more than hesitant to let anyone but herself see victory. She blamed her newly acquired competitive drive. Human error had always fascinated Isealia, and now that she had it for herself, she looked forward to exploring its true nature.

She jumped yet another time. Perfeneas was surely still perfect; therefore, the title should naturally go to him and his country.

...Unless...

What had made her lose her perfection in the first place? Was it just that she had run out of time? Was it her meeting and interaction with the other successful experiment? Either way, it was possible that Phineas was also-

No. Isabella could not even bring herself to consider it possible. Even if something had happened to him, she would never know the difference. He would always be perfect to her.

One last jump, and she would make it. The yellow flag was just out of reach, and with another push, it could be hers.

Now or never. Mid-jump, she made the decision. She would prove her mettle and grab victory in the form of the flag. She would-

Why was her foot wet?

The youth gasped and looked down in horror as she noticed her left shoe breaking the surface of the water, causing it to undulate beautifully. Her reflection was as disturbed as the face it portrayed. Quickly, she returned her sight to the finish, but the yellow flag was nowhere to be found.

"Stop the test," one of the instructors declared, and the walls, ceiling, and floor reverted back to their natural state. "That's enough."

That darn human error!


	16. Scattered

**...I have a confession to make. I had way too much fun with the references in this chapter. See if you can catch any!**

**Also, you can forget about these chapters being relatively short. They just keep getting longer. XD And happy equinox, too - be yours vernal (like mine) or autumnal (not like mine).**

**Review Responses:**

**Dreadwing216: ...Than what?**

**Phineas A: Hopefully this chapter will answer your question.**

**Guest: Okay, so the minerals in the water conduct electricity. That doesn't technically change much about the story, but it does make me question a particular type chart. Also, yes, I do remember the serum, but have greater plans for it; the revelations of heat and conscious thought were meant to be signs of their perfection degrading.**

**That French bit was actually the remainder of a scrapped gag I wanted to put in based on Isabella's mispronunciation in the "City of Love" song, in addition to her failure to understand Brigitte in "Buford Confidential." Lessee, the five romance languages... Other than Spanish and French (obviously), I wanna say Italian, Latin, and... English, I guess. Though I heard maybe Portuguese.**

* * *

"O-Okay, it's been real," Candace called as Jeremy and his sister exited the park. "What a nice guy," she thought aloud, "Well, better go find my brother. _Brothers._" She pinched the bridge of her nose, bowing her head to the ground and closing her eyes. "Why do I even try..?" She asked no one in particular.

When she opened her eyes, they landed on one of the toy pistols she had been bombarded with before. She furrowed her brow and picked it up, inspecting the purple and green paint job, and concluded that this was no ordinary water gun: it did not even have a slot to put water in! Candace turned it over and gasped at the word inscribed in green at the bottom.

_Invisinator._

So that was what happened! This was obviously designed by Ferb; perhaps it was how Perfeneas and Isealia disappeared at the test yesterday. In her hands Candace held the very item that made it all possible - from the meeting of Perfeneas and Isealia to learning that Ferb and Vanessa were their siblings to being able to meet Linda and Lawrence. It was all in her hands now, and she smiled excitedly at the amount of power it held.

Unwaveringly, Cansummace's heart was with the light. Ever since she was little, the girl's fascination with invisibility was very pronounced. She would always be the best at hide-and-seek whenever she played with friends and family, rivaled only by her brother (who rarely played anyway). Color was one of the first things she had exploited her imperfection to experience - the visible spectrum was her personal pallet. Among other - 'idiosyncrasies', as Perfeneas would call them - she would always insist that the windows of any occupied rooms would be left open, and to this day she slept with a nightlight. Even her quirky nature, tendency to exaggerate, perpetual clumsiness, desire to bring the world to justice, and overly enthusiastic personality showed how bright her soul shined through.

Even in the large, triangular shadow of her brother.

"I should probably bring this back to Ferb..." Candace mused, in no rush to actually return it. "Where is he, anyhow?"

Scanning the park for a few seconds brought to attention the fact that - once again - she was being forgotten about. Left behind. For Perfeneas. She watched Vanessa's motorbike pull out of the park and down the street, with Ferb in tow.

"I-I can't believe it! They would leave their own sister here to fend for herself? Messed up, guys."

With this accusation, Candace turned the Invisinator on herself and sprinted the twenty or so feet to where Gretchen and Perry were climbing onto the platypus's miniature version of the vehicle. Candace, invisible, latched herself onto it the same way a flea would to a now-irritated dog. How her companions did not notice the extra weight was way beyond her ability to understand.

* * *

Ferb did not say a word the whole way to the building. Not to the teen in front of him, not back to Gretchen or Perry, not to himself. Granted, there was a lot going on in his head at the moment, but that was always the case, so no one noticed.

The youth eyed the speed gauge of the bike he was sharing. An easy hundred kilometers per hour. His mind was going at least twice that.

Yet, on the outside, he was so quiet, so stoic, and almost lifeless that Vanessa had to occasionally check back to see if he was still there. Never had they made eye contact.

The cold wind rushing past bit at his exposed arms and legs. It was a small bike, meant only for one person. Neither of them, therefore, had much breathing room, and once they got to the highway Ferb had to hold on to his partner rather tightly in an essential hug from behind. They both understood it was for his safety more than anything, but the boy could not help thinking something just felt wrong about the position.

_You're nine,_ he reminded himself. _She's fifteen. There's six years._

_Six years..._

The number repeated over and over again in his head. _Six, six._ He closed his eyes and refused to let go of the person in front of him.

Near the alley where they had all gathered the day before, Vanessa stopped in front of the Gretchen-Perry duo. Instead of getting off herself, she instructed the two to go ahead.

All calmness escaped her voice as Vanessa suddenly turned around fully, swinging her legs over the bike to properly sit backwards, to face her brother. "Alright," she began, taking the boy by surprise. It was clear she harbored some anxiety about the ensuing conversation, and did not try to come off too harsh. "Can we talk? It's been pretty awkward between us lately, I know that. But it has to stop."

Ferb blinked rapidly a few times, the most subtle of expressions playing across his face. His eyes were even more distant than normal.

"Ferb." Vanessa pushed further the way one would to a small child who knew he was being disobedient. "Come on, don't just sit there! None of this-" she motioned back and forth between them, indicating an invisible force that represented the growing tension forming there - "is ever going to stop until we both do something about it. I need to know what's going on; are you actually okay?"

Words came rushing at Ferb in his mind, combinations of letters forming phrases and pronunciations in every possible order, but none of them could come out right. Words had power of unimaginable sorts, so why now, of all times, were they failing him?

"Goshdarnit, Ferb." Vanessa rolled her eyes and sighed impatiently. "You need to look at me. We don't have much time, so if we really need to we can talk about it later. But I need to make sure you're ready to go in there, because if you're not..." She trailed off. "I can't even think about it. Do you understand how important this is? Because if we don't get in there quickly and do everything exactly the right way, everyone on this continent is going to pay for it. So please, I know you've probably got a lot on your mind, but can you pull yourself together, just for an hour or two? For me?" She lifted his face so that for the first time that day, the two looked each other in the eyes. "And I promise you can beat me up for this later."

"I - will be fine." He almost smiled, but it was drowned out by embarrassment.

Vanessa looked him up and down for a good long moment, realizing how little room the one-person bike allowed for a conversation. "You're a good kid, you know," she told him. A twang of something unrecognizable crossed his face, and for a zenosecond he inwardly cringed. _Six... Six..._

Vanessa continued. "But sometimes you aren't as strong as you think. Ferb… You know I really do love you, just like I love Perfeneas and Cansummace. We aren't a conventional family, I know, but we can make it work. This'll pass."

She planted her hands on his shoulders and almost begged him, "Now, can we _please_ go back to being friends?"

Ferb's answer was the most unexpected thing she ever heard leave his mouth. "Never."

Before Vanessa was given time to answer, he continued. "We're brother and sister. And we'll _never _be less than that."

This caused the teen to break into a small, involuntary smile. She closed her eyes, opened them again, and offered quietly, "Awkward sibling hug?"

Ferb did not hesitate. "Awkward sibling hug," he agreed.

The two enveloped each other in a short but brilliant embrace, which was not difficult considering their proximity to each other. Suddenly, both sets of eyes went wide as they simultaneously recited their actions in a single, terrifyingly monotone voice: "Pat. Pat."

* * *

Perry spun around sharply at the noise behind him. Thankfully, it was not the building's security, but his OWCA cohorts deciding to make an appearance. He nodded to them, ready for whatever lay ahead.

"We should split up," Gretchen insisted in a very straightforward tone. "I go to go with Ferb. Is that okay?"

The rest of the group eyed each other, then gave Gretchen their approval.

At that moment, Vanessa disappeared entirely. Perry, Gretchen, and Ferb followed, and in their places stood Agents V, P, G, and Ferb, of their respective spy organizations. And they were on a mission.

"We'll need to sneak in," Agent V began, "Ferb, you got that invisibility ray?"

The boy felt around for it in his pockets, and his eyes suddenly bloated as he realized it was nowhere to be found.

"Must have dropped it in our fight with that OSBA guy," Gretchen concluded. "That does everything more hard. But has never stopped us before, true? Can do this." She fixed her sash and lowered the rim of her beret confidently.

As if in agreement, Ferb and Vanessa withdrew their fedoras and placed them neatly atop their heads. Perry, too, played with his and signaled his readiness with a crisp thumbs-up.

* * *

Inside the booth where Doofenshmirtz, Marsh, and Povenmire were watching Perfeneas take the test, Povenmire turned to his companion. "Hey, did you notice that he's wearing stripes now?" He wondered aloud.

"What are you talking about? That outfit is perfectly white."

"...No, you're just crazy."

From the corner of the room, Perry and Vanessa crept along a side wall whilst scanning the simulation for obstacles to take advantage of, to hide behind. Luckily, the area was covered in a dense rain forest, with Phineas in the clearing.

"What is he doing?" Vanessa whispered, "Shouldn't he have the foresight to know not to take the test?"

Perry cringed. _That's right, Vanessa doesn't know about their - condition,_ he realized. Without turning, he instantly held up a finger in front of her mouth. She nodded in acknowledgement.

Carefully, with the aid of the simulation and some O.W.C.A. technology, Agent V moved further into the jungle. Senses alive, she watched her every step so as not to disturb the environment. False sunlight fell from the ceiling, bouncing off the large leaves of trees that were not actually there.

She ducked under said leaves, moving in silence, sticking to the darkest parts of the foliage. There was always something about the dark that fascinated the teenager, perhaps because of her unintended creation and stressful life. Vanessa was not corrupt, as one might assume of a person who lets darkness rule their mind; rather, she was an individual, completely independent from the people her age. She taught herself much of what she knew and learned almost entirely from experience. If she had a secret, you could be sure not another soul would know unless she found legitimate reason not to carry it to the grave. Vanessa was not socially detached - she got along in a group well enough to lead the team of agents assigned to Cansummace - but was fully capable of becoming that way in times like these where she deemed it necessary.

That was one of her greatest flaws: like anyone else taken over by darkness would be, Vanessa was _too_ independent to recognize her own mistakes, and therefore would stop at nothing to reach her goals - often not realizing who might be hurt in the process.

Perry moved around the wall, looking for an entrance to the alternate, lower level control center he read about while doing some OWCA-assigned research on the facility. He never would have found if not for the sensors in his bill. Deliberately, he located Vanessa and Phineas as the field shifted again, this time to a plain room with completely unobstructed views. He quickly powered up the controls to the simulation, following what was going on but also putting a hologram around Vanessa to prevent her discovery.

The platypus was very used to working with machines, mainly from his experience in the O.W.C.A. Still, perhaps it was his already established ability to sense electricity in a way no other animal can, but even as boastful as Ferb or Vanessa may be about how expertly they handle their spy equipment, Perry was the real master of the tech. Even more impressive was the fact that he was not even human, and could operate their machines even better than many of them could - it was as if he was beating them at their own game. The enthusiasm with which he carried out his missions showed how much energy could be packed into the small body, and his experience with his boys' projects-turned-Inators showed that he knew his electricity inside and out.

Vanessa crept up from behind Phineas, ready to pounce. She covered his mouth and yanked him away; courtesy of Perry, a hologram covered him as well, and a new one appeared in his place.

"Did you see that?" Inquired Mr. Marsh.

"Yeah, you were right!" Povenmire exclaimed, "His clothes were normal the whole time. I think I'm going to need glasses or something."

* * *

Grappling hooks at the ready, Ferb and Gretchen made their way into Isealia's room. The former stopped short as a bolt of lightning struck, halting his companion with his free hand. Once prepared, they shot their hooks up to the metallic ceiling in complete sync, landing atop the elevated platforms used by workers to manage the area from above. Gretchen, who loved the height, aided Ferb in his ascent away from his beloved ground.

As if able to read the other's mind, the two tiptoed along to a metal vent cover, and Ferb withdrew a screwdriver to open the latch. Gretchen followed his motion for her to go first.

Traversing the dark, cramped tunnels of the vents was all but easy. Their surroundings gave hardly a centimeter's allowance for movement, and with almost no sense of direction, it was incredibly implausible to actually make any progress.

Yet, there they were, the two directors controlling Isealia's test, directly below them. With a nod to Agent G, Ferb silently undid the bolts holding the grate up, and lowered a rope down behind them from an unknown place.

Like ninjas, the two slid down, landing on the hard floor. The directors then spun around, immediately aware of the intruders but shocked to see their own Graciela Guerrero being one of them. One grabbed a microphone, shouting something about "el examen," and the other hastily powered off the simulation, not as a result of Isabella's mishap, but to devote more attention to the task at hand.

Through the glass, Gretchen caught a confused-looking Isabella's eye, and motioned for her to get out while she could. The girl turned and ran for freedom.

Refusing to admit defeat, Ferb and Gretchen did likewise through the inside-locking door within the chamber. The ensuing chase was greatly drawn out, and eventually resulted in the agents' discovery of another, more hidden room where the directors were finally shaken.

Catching their breath, Ferb and Gretchen let their gaze dart wildly about the area. A lone table sat in the corner, covered in paperwork - which, in turn, was littered with tildes and accent marks and upside-down punctuation. All except one page, which was written in perfect English, a translated version sitting beside it.

Captivated, Gretchen inspected both entries thoroughly. As her eyes moved down, the speed at which they scattered back and forth exponentially increased. Suddenly, both copies of the pact made between Doctors Doofenshmirtz and García-Shapiro left her hands and dropped onto the desk. Cleaning her glasses to make sure she was reading right, Gretchen cautiously pieced the documents together.

"Ferb!" Graciela exclaimed, "Ferb, look at that! Is a translation error here; the victor of the test no does win superiority, but..."

Ferb looked where his friend had indicated and gawked at her discovery. He finished her thought.

"...Possession of the other country's experiment."


	17. Worried

**Okay, who else is seriously bothered by what's going on with everyone's avatars and story covers? Luckily, this one didn't get hit too badly, but, like, my O:CD cover? They cut half the title off! D:**

**Hm... O:CD... OCD... Utter coincidence, I swear!**

**10/21/15: Fixed it by now. The resolution is horrible, but whatcha gonna do?**

**Anyway, I've got some good news and bad news about this chapter. The bad news is, it's on the shorter side and really is just setup for the next one. The good news? Can't tell you that now, it would spoil the end!**

**Review responses:**

**Dreadwing216: Ha, thanks. Hopefully I can keep that standard going.**

**Phineas A: Forever and always! Except, y'know, maybe not like that, at this point, in this story. But otherwise, yes please... :)**

**Guest: Does that mean that today's also a good day? Hope so. ^^ Romanian, I definitely would not have guessed that. The question you brought up is a very good one indeed, but to answer it I think you'd just have to continue reading the story. Likewise, I would have to continue writing it. Hey, no love for F+V? That's alright, a lot of people don't ship them. But I do, and this is my story, so there's a Ferbnessa subplot (which, never fear, is pretty much over by now). Oh, that optical illusion? That was a very sly but not very effective (*snickers*) referrence to the mysterious color-changing striped dress that broke the internet a while ago. Some people, including the vast majority of my family and friends, see the stripes as being white and gold, while others see blue and black. Incidentally, those are both wrong! I looked it up, and the dress is really this weird, light blue/brown thing. Which is exactly what I see. Turns out, my eyes work right!**

**I'm gonna stop before this A/N gets longer than the chapter. Seriously... It's a long author's note...**

* * *

Isabella was still not familiar with the entire map of the testing facility, but she knew how to exit from her designated room. She sprinted off the stadium, the tip of her shoe still dripping with imaginary water, and through passageways and halls and side rooms until she saw the door.

"Wait!" Called an indiscernible voice from behind. Invisinator in hand, Candace slowly reappeared. "There's something you need to know," she informed, "Ferb and Gretchen found out something important. If we set this up right, it's gonna turn out fine."

Isabella slowly lowered her hand from the door's handle. "How do you suppose we do that?" She inquired quietly, with a hint of caution.

"You aren't going to like this," Candace warned, "But if you take that test - and lose - you'll need to be handed over to the United States. Then you can be with us and everything will go as planned."

The girl turned stern. "I'm not certain..."

"Do you have a better idea?" Candace challenged, positive that, if one existed, she would have it.

There was a pause. "We can probably build off of yours," Isabella concluded, choosing her words with care. "How would I get back in, and where are Ferb and Gretchen?" She hesitated. "And Phineas? Do you know if your brother is safe?"

"...I don't, exactly," Candace admitted, without missing a beat. "But he is in this building somewhere. Vanessa went out to find him."

"Phineas is _here_?" Isabella restated, alert. "How did this happen... I thought he could make it away from them..." This was nothing more than a whisper. Moisture found its way into her eyes as her hope drained away further.

There are just some things that can not be explained by any science known today. For instance, it is known why humans and certain other species of animals have tear ducts: to keep their eyes clean, and to replenish their water supply. However, there exists no definite answer to the question of why, when brought to extreme stages of emotion, these tear ducts begin to overflow in an act widely known as crying. Many theorize that it is an evolutionary development; others say it is caused by certain hormones. The question of 'how' has long since been answered, but of 'why', the world is in the dark.

This was one of the last questions on Isabella's mind, however, as her knees weakened further. She hid her face from Candace, its surface becoming increasingly wet; the teenager took immediate note of this, and as the youth in front of her knelt down in silent anguish, she just knew.

Something had happened to Isealia, and in no way was it pretty.

The next thing Isabella knew, a pair of thin arms had wrapped around her in a comforting side hug, one hand gently caressing her silky blue and black hair. Candace rested her head for a moment on the experiment's, the girl's soft sobs not yet retreating. "I-I'm sure he'll be fine," Candace suggested, careful not to make the situation worse. She gave an encouraging squeeze, then continued. "We're here to rescue you two. There's no way Phineas chose to come here."

Candace's consolation did little to calm the girl beside her. "If that was the case - he would have resisted - or defended himself - or something." Isabella's breaths were quick and sharp, expressing worry. "And if he did that, they could have gotten him here, no matter how hard they tried. Unless-" She gasped, clamping her large eyes shut in a remorseful, though still somehow cute, grimace.

She turned to face Candace fully, and the two slightly pulled away from each other. "I promise I'll explain everything later," Isabella insisted, a certain verve embedding itself comfortably into her face and voice. "I need you to..."

She trailed off, distracted by something past the older female's head. It was the very face of the boy that had held her affection - in a picture on the news report shown on a small television, which hung in the corner of the ceiling (neither of them had noticed it before this).

"The experiments have since been located and returned to the facility where they are currently being tested," the anchorman read, the screen showing a horrifying depiction of Phineas's capture in the park. Candace followed Isabella's eyes, and her own bulged at the sight of her father handcuffing the poor boy with the aid of two other men.

The reporter ambiguously continued. "So far, there is no word from the government about pulling away from the recently announced war..."

The two did not need hear him utter another word before arriving at identical conclusions, which they shared simultaneously: "We need to find Phineas."

* * *

"It's Vanessa. Be quiet," Vanessa whispered in command to the confused boy she had retrieved. "Trust me, I'm getting you out of here." Phineas opened his mouth briefly, but did not object. Instead, he slipped his hand into his sister's and followed her towards the door.

Perry continued to operate the simulation from the lower control center, keeping one eye on the two escapees and another on the pseudo-Phineas he had whipped up. Luckily, the scenery shifted again after the holograms were put up, this time to a bustling urbia. The two were free to leave without help from the monotreme.

They swiftly maneuvered, unseen, around large skyscrapers to find the exit. Once they made it to safety, they had discovered Ferb and Gretchen - Isabella-less, and waiting with worried looks. The polyglot clutched two sheets of paper to her chest.

Vanessa motioned for them to move further away from the testing room to speak more safely, and the four convened once this direction was followed. "Where is Isealia?" The eldest asked simply.

"She made it out, but we were separate," Gretchen explained.

Observant as always, Phineas pointed out the documents she was holding onto so tightly. "What are those?" He inquired.

"Th-The contact your father singed, and the one Isa-" she met Vanessa's eyes - "Isealia's mother did. Take a look at this line here, and compare him - it! - with the same one en español."

Phineas ignored Gretchen's malapropisms and accepted the papers, studying the indicated sentences. "This does not look good," he concluded. "If either Isealia or I emerge victorious, the other will be handed over to the winner's country. It doesn't say exactly how that would work, but it certainly should be avoided."

"Don't be silly, there's an easy solution here," Vanessa chirped. "Just go back in there, win against Isealia, and she'll have to move to the U.S - just like we planned."

"Maybe theoretically, but..."

"But what?"

Gretchen took over. "Perfeneas isn't in well shape for for to do that. Something happened last night, and he... Is not perfect anymore. No sabemos como - agh! We do not know how it happened."

Vanessa went wide-eyed. "Really?" She looked him up and down in disbelief.

Phineas sighed. "I apologize," he started. "But they're right."

"That's a little alarming..." Vanessa stated, "But I believe you. We should find Isealia, she should know what's going on."

"Yes!" Agreed Gretchen, "She should be still in the building. Call your friend back here and can go look for her."

"No problem. You three get a head start, we'll meet up with you later."

Ferb and Gretchen exchanged glances, then nodded. They led Phineas away.

Gretchen, who walked between the two boys, realized something interesting. She could not tear her eyes from the nervous-looking redhead. What was his world, she wondered, and how much bigger was it now? For the first time, she felt a twinge of guilt about what she had done to him and Isealia. Had they remained perfect if they never met? Would they be able to adapt to everything happening? Would they be the true leaders of the team they had assembled?

_Well, what's done is done,_ she reasoned. _Only choice now is to do what we can to protect everyone else._

Perhaps it was her unquestionable desire to learn, but Isealia and Perfeneas both mesmerized her. They were humans, minus everything for which the species became infamous. They were actually tangible, composed of the same recycled atoms of dead stars that she was. It was simply amazing.

She turned to Ferb, who was stoic as ever. They had a somewhat awkward friendship, true, but a cherished one nonetheless. Phineas, on the other hand, was someone she needed to see to believe.

The girl smiled slightly, inspecting the redhead's profile. Thinking nothing of it, and knowing that no one else would, she slipped her hand and forearm around the experiment's and intertwined her fingers with his. Likewise, she moved her left hand to hold Ferb's, and he accepted.

A green-haired secret agent with a fancy for his sister. A nearly bilingual Mexican girl born without scleras. A genetic experiment gone perfectly right and then horribly wrong. None of which had experienced an eleventh birthday. That was not even half of their team, and when all seven worked together, nothing could stop them.

_"Hold it right there!"_

Except a pharmacist.

* * *

Being born of science gave the two semicircular failed female experiments in white some degree of above-average athletic ability. Candace and Isabella sprinted back into the building, looking for the test rooms; it was fairly easy, actually, given how often they each had navigated those hallways by now. Soon enough, they had happened upon a certain cross-hatched patterned strip of an animal's tail, evidence that the creature was standing just after the corner.

"What's Perry doing here?" Candace asked, confused.

"Who?"

Candace stepped out into the hallway, retrieving the startled animal. "This is my Phineas's pet platypus, Perry. Say 'hi', Perry."

She picked up one of his paws and moved it as if he was waving. "How do you know it's him?" Isabella skepticised, "Danville is full of platypuses."

"Platypi?"

"Platypuses."

"It's become pretty easy to pick him out of a crowd. Still, I wonder what he's doing here. I don't remember bringing him here when we left yesterday..."

Perry squirmed, and Candace, disgusted, set him on the ground.

"Candace, uh, your sister..."

"Vanessa?" The teen looked back up, and found rightness in her companion's claim. "Oh, hey, long time no see. Thanks for abandoning me in the park back there, I really appreciated that."

"You're welcome," Vanessa remarked, ignoring Candace's sarcasm. She then turned to the younger girl. "So, this is Isealia. Pleasure to meet you."

"And to you too," Isabella responded.

"So did you see Ferb?" Candace asked, "He and Graciela found out something important. If-"

"Yeah, I heard. Come on, we need to find those two, and our brother." She shared a glance with Perry, and knew to play dumb. "Hey, what's Perry doing here?"

"That's what I was wondering, and we have no clue," Candace explained. "But it doesn't matter. Let's go, you lead the way."

* * *

**So, no cliffhanger. There's the good news I promised you. Carpe Diem (not that I doubt you would had I not told you to)!**

**10/21/15: Whoops, I lied. Jet Engine caught me with one!**


	18. Terminated

**All right, and we're back! You know, this chapter is actually very very special. Mostly because it's the last one. And also the longest, being the only one to not only surpass three thousand words, but make a pretty good dent into the four thousand mark as well. I'm so excited, I could-!**

**Review responses:**

**Dreadwing216: Well, points for being 'truthfully honest', it would be a shame if you were deceivingly honest. I don't care much for Ferbetchen because - well firstly, Ferbnessa and Irvetchen - but Gretchen's lack of character development within the show irks me. Still, I'll let anyone ship who they want to ship, just as long as they let me do ****the same in peace. Just don't expect me to write pairings I don't prefer, and there will be no reason for ship-driven civil wars in the fandom. If it means anything to you, Ferb and Gretchen are really close here, just not in a romantic way.**

**Phineas A: And I'm happy happy happy you feel that way!**

**Guest: For some reason, I predicted you would bring that up. (And wait, I thought the prefix 'hippo' had something to do with horses?)**

**What? The responses don't all have to be lengthy.**

**Onto... The last chapter of ehm-FAY-oh! Bring on the braces-proof popcorn, baby, and hold on tight!**

* * *

Of all the people who could have been walking down that corridor, Doofenshmirtz had to be the one. Phineas, Ferb, and Gretchen stopped dead in their tracks, letting go of each other' arms. Ferb sent a distress signal, with an attached map of the building, to Vanessa and Perry using his upgraded wristwatch.

Phineas looked the scientist in the eye, wanting to be brave, to retaliate, but knowing the consequences of the decision kept him from doing anything unreasonable. Gretchen, therefore, stepped up for him instead. "And why we should?" She demanded, in response to his command to stop.

"Because... Well, because I said so, that's why."

The children all saw straight through the old parent excuse for 'I can't come up with a good reason'. "Luckily, I never leave home without a mobile trap or three..."

From the inside pockets on his lab coat, he retrieved an all-black -Inator of similar structure to Ferb's Invisinator. "Behold, children, the Trap-Inator!"

"He put _lots_ of thought into that name," Ferb commented under his breath.

"Woah, enough from the peanut gallery over there," Doofenshmirtz retorted, annoyance in his voice. He took the machine's safety off and advanced. "What does that even mean? Is that some kind of museum, showcasing different varieties of peanuts?" He twisted the tip of the -Inator and took careful aim at Ferb, who stood at very high alert. A few warning shots were fired as he next spoke (unless they were simply blasts Doofenshmirtz missed, which was just as believable). "Because if that's the case, I just _have_ to trick my brother into going with me there sometime. Wouldn't you agree? He's very allergic."

Distracted slightly by the irrelevance of the preceding rant, Ferb stopped for a moment to answer: "Well, actually, I-"

This hiccup in the boy's attention was enough to land a hit on his shoes. Once monochrome, they now took on a green aura, and soon enough the laces morphed into small vines adorned with the smallest of leaf sprouts growing from them. Rapidly, they began to grow and multiply, wrapping themselves around Ferb's legs and crawling up his body until the dream of movement took off and left him. His vision was highly limited, as he stood rooted in place with his arms outstretched high in the air, looking for a way to make themselves useful before being swallowed in plant life.

But it was all in vain. Ferb had become a tree, stationary, vulnerable, but in some twisted way, sturdy and alive.

Against his better judgement, perhaps, he chose not to open his mouth to warn Gretchen of the oncoming -Inator blast for fear that the vines would continue to grow and climb inside of him. Though his body inside remained unchanged, it was difficult but just possible for him to see through the foliage the faces of two of his closest friends scrambling to remove the vines. He let out what could closely be described as a sigh in defeat, though the movement of air into and out of his respiratory system started to require increasing amounts of stamina.

Phineas was clawing away at the vines, but as the ones he cut away fell lifeless to the floor, new ones swarmed in to take their place. Gretchen was to his left, trying in identical vain to do the same. Her ears perked up at the sound of Doofenshmirtz's -Inator clicking to another setting, then the futuristic noise of a beam going off, this time in Phineas's direction.

Instinctively, she rounded Ferb and flew out in front of his brother to take the hit. Before she knew what had happened, Gretchen's face smacked right into the ceiling.

She had to look up to see her partners and the evil scientist - however, as she was suspended upside-down, she was really staring at the ground. That is, she would be, if her eyes were functioning properly; her glasses had shattered upon impact.

At first, she did not see how this could restrain her. Nothing was holding her down; instead, the beam held her up. Despite her lack of eyesight and some blood rushing to her head, there should have been no reason that the reversed gravity could hinder her.

Gretchen tried jumping out to grab one of Ferb's branches, but could not find any of them - with her eyes nor her hands. Finally realizing she was beaten, she slumped down on the ceiling and blindly inspected her crushed lenses, pouting, rubbing her fingers along the frames and feeling the broken glass.

Phineas was the only one left. At that moment he realized it would be futile to try to save his friends, especially now that he was the last target.

"Now, you'll have no choice but to come with me..." Doofenshmirtz commented with a drawn-out evil cackle.

"N-N-No..." Phineas stammered, giving in to the temptation of resistance. After all, someone who was perfect would never allow themselves to be used for evil, and it was clear to Phineas now that that was his father's intention.

"I just told you, you don't have a choice. Come give your old man a hand, _kiddo_."

Phineas recoiled. What right did he have to subordinate him so? And who did he think he was to?

Not his father, that was for sure.

"Never!" He cried, "I'll never do something like that!"

"Hm... No, I think you will. Believe me."

Yet another new emotion overtook the redhead.

It was not anger, nor annoyance; nor frustration, nor rebellion; it was hatred.

"Why should I?" He demanded, "After all this time, when you never once considered me family? Wasn't I just some science experiment to you? I shouldn't have to remind you that I am a person, just like you are!" He balled his fists and advanced towards Doofenshmirtz. "I can't believe I have never figured it out. You never loved me, you never wanted to use me for good, and _you are not my dad!_"

Ferb and Gretchen watched in horror as the once-perfect boy burst into rage. He lunged at Doofenshmirtz's -Inator, trying to pry it from the man's hands, which clicked its barrel to another setting. Doof's eyes widened when he realized which one it was. "No, don't put it on that one, it isn't finished yet-"

He bit his lip as Phineas clutched the machine harder, and he did the same. One finger rested shakily on the trigger, and the other hand attempted to steady it at Phineas's nose. With one final push, however, the youth forced the -Inator to turn around, hitting Doofenshmirtz's instead.

This was the moment the doctor chose to fire the beam, realizing too late who would be receiving the shot.

The heat Phineas felt in his anger multiplied when a fire erupted where the evil scientist stood. Flames flickered around, licking Doofenshmirtz's sides. Yet the man remained unscathed, crying out not in pain but instead in defeat.

The fire was reflected in Phineas's eyes, which now expressed fear more than anything. Doofenshmirtz shakily stood back up and looked his son in the eyes. "Wow, this trap really... Is effective," he noted. "But don't think you've won. This isn't even real fire, so hah!"

He pointed downwards at Phineas with a leer, embers dancing out of the sleeves of his lab coat to the metallic floor. "I will get out of this, I assure you, and when I do, you'd better watch out!"

Phineas backed up cautiously, enough that he could hear his brother whisper softly to him, "Run. Gretchen and I will be fine. Trust me."

Phineas nodded.

"You know the plan?"

He nodded again.

"Go."

The last word had to be choked out, as at that moment the vines had done just as they threatened and moved into Ferb's mouth. Disgusted, the boy clamped down on them with angry jaws and disconnected them from the main plant. He spit the leaves out in futile resistance to the man in front of them.

Phineas did as he was told.

"Wait!" Doofenshmirtz shrieked, and Phineas stopped. "Do not go back in there - you have no idea what you're fighting! There is a war breaking out because of you and that girl! I know everything about you, kiddo, much more than you ever will. And if you try to stop me now..." The evil scientist looked through the fire, revealing a fist. "Wow, this really is terrific mood lighting. I feel so much more _evil!_" He cackled again, this time for only a second or two. "If you try to stop me, this will be the last the world will see of its beloved Perfeneas."

Doofenshmirtz planted his two feet at shoulder-width apart, his knees bent, and threw his head back, screaming, faux fire riding up his arms and resting in two flowering, burning orbs in his hands. If one looked carefully, they may have noticed how well Doofenshmirtz's spikey brown hair - which resembled Phineas's in every aspect except color - flapped along with the flames as if it, itself, had been ignited.

The doctor was still yelling his heart out when Phineas, who refused to accept the burning image of himself provided by the man, decided he had seen enough. He turned around fully and ran down the corridor - it was finally time to end this.

* * *

The testing room was all but empty now, as security guards, government officials, and the like - including even the United States President himself and many Secret Service members - paraded through the area looking for something to explain the experiments' absence. Phineas ducked his head into the doorframe to see what was going on.

Across the room, in the opposite door, he could see her doing the same.

_Isealia._

Oh, how he wished he could run to her and embrace her and spill everything that had happened since their separation at the park. His imperfection, the impending conflict, the temporary loss of Ferb and Gretchen due to his own father's turning, the sensation he felt whenever in her presence that everything was going to be okay in the end, which he desperately needed to be sure of now...

The two finally locked eyes from across the long room and knew what to do. It was a sacrifice they would have to make.

They stepped back out into the room, and slowly, their presences made themselves apparent throughout the crowd, as silence rippled in waves to its center, where Vivian García-Shapiro had stationed herself.

Said geneticist quit her frantic jabbering when the people surrounding her did the same. She followed their attention first to the one side of the room, where her daughter stood in the all-white gown she had been changed into since she was returned to the facility. Next she looked to the other door, where stood the enemy in the form of a ten-year-seven-month-one-day-old boy in his signature garb of the same pure white. And breath struggled to make its way into and out of her, as she anticipated what was next to come.

In perfect unison, Phineas and Isabella turned along the ugly but spotless gray walls and onto the staging area. They stopped when they were close enough to smell each other's distinct, entrancing breath, blinked, and faced their audience.

Silence overtook the room, save for the sound of a door clicking shut in the background. After this, it was Phineas who had spoke first.

"Everyone, please, can we have your attention?" He started, despite how little it was needed. At this point, even if the Inexplicable Giant Floating Baby Head that roamed the streets of the town was hovering next to a member of the crowd, they would not notice for they were too busy watching the children.

Isabella, cognizant that the room was filled with many people who would not understand the redhead next to her, repeated his every word in crisp Spanish.

"We know what is going on," Phineas continued, surprisingly calm after his outrage just a minute or so before. There was no doubt in his mind that the girl to his left was the reason for this. "We are aware of your fighting. We accept that we are both its cause and its effect. And we despise it."

A murmur, a low hum, resounded in the right, English-speaking side of the crowd. It doubled in volume when Isabella finished translating, but did not dare to keep the youths from their speech.

"We have but one thing to ask of you all."

_"Nosotros queremos una cosa de ustedes."_

"We want - we _need_ you to end it."

_"Necesitamos que lo terminan."_

The next lines they spoke together: "Now."

_"Ahora."_

They waited for an answer for longer than anyone would have liked.

"Lo siento, Isealia, no podemos. Es imposible!" This was the voice of said girl's mother, the only one in the whole crowd who had half a right to tell them this.

Status quo broken, others joined in chiming nonsense about how they were not in charge of the war, it was too late to draw back, and "My watermelon!"

Phineas raised a hand to silence the audience. "Then we have no choice?"

The people agreed, melancholy.

Phineas exhaled. "Then let _us_ decide who the victor should be. Was that not the original plan anyway?"

This sunk in for a moment. Eventually the crowd came to agreement with Phineas.

He raised an eyebrow. "So, to the death, then?"

The crowd erupted, each shouting no at the top of their lungs. One member even chimed, louder than he had likely realized, "No, to the pain!"

People around him eyed the speaker. "What?" He nervously began, "To the death would be absolutely _inconceivable_!"

This satisfied the rest of the crowd, and the children were allowed to continue.

Phineas's eyes flickered to Isabella for a split second. "To the pain it is," he stated ambiguously.

With this, the two moved into the middle of the floor. Beside each of them lay one long, presumably wooden, stick with rounded ends, of origin unknown to anyone but their intended wielders. They each picked up their weapon with series of deep breaths.

"Ready?" Phineas whispered, just loud enough for her to hear.

Isabella winked. "Showtime."

At first, their movements were identical. They raised their sticks with the same brio and swung them down with the same deliberate inaccuracy. Povenmire and Marsh, who had left their control center and added themselves to the thin crowd, were taking furious notes on each of their forms. As did the directors of Isabella's test.

Then momentum began to build, as the two swung their weapons around with graceful expertise, colliding with each other in sharp clacks that sent shivers down the spines of onlookers. For added effect, at one point they even took to making direct contact between the stick and the child in front of them. Refraining from any real violence, of course; the last thing on either of their minds was purposely causing each other harm.

It was then that the Earth decided to play a little trick on everyone. The ground started to shake mightily, walls were ripped apart, and their inside structure could be seen. Half the crowd immediately ducked for cover, each keeping one eye on the relentless fighters.

In a peculiar way, as Phineas and Isabella - still convinced that the other had never lost perfection - kept exchanging blows, the shifting ground beneath them seemed to follow and highlight each of their specific gestures. It was as if the earthquake was being controlled by someone on a different plane, outside and on top, who could see everything that they did. Isabella leapt into the air, the rumbling of the ground making it so that she was multiple feet above the ground. She came down on Phineas, who blocked with his staff and dove out of the way so that while the transpiration looked undoubtedly cool, no one experienced harm.

Many fled the room, but the majority of the audience continued to watch as if nothing was moving around them.

This became impossible when it happened.

Earthquakes are brutal to any civilization that ever experiences them. One notable reason why is because of the damage they do to buildings.

Soon enough, the very ceiling gave way, and chunks of it at a time began raining to the still-shaking floor. Phineas and Isabella were unfazed by this development, however; they remained locked in their battle even as a particularly large piece above them threatened to break loose.

The seismic waves slowly but surely started to relax, coming in after longer intervals of time. Audience members who had kept watching the children in awe had regained balance enough that the experiments now held the entirety of the group's delicate, undivided attention.

Isabella turned her gaze upward, spotting the one gash of ceiling dangling precariously over the heads of her and her savant. It was time.

It was over, and he sensed it, too.

In one swift movement, she used her staff to yank the boy into her proximity.

The concrete slab of ceiling disconnected from its foundation.

Instead of fleeing, as would be expected, the two experiments remained stationary, glued to the floor.

It fell in a straight line, unmoved by inertia. Collectively, the people gasped as they saw the imminence of their representatives' doom.

Isabella thought quickly and moved quicklier. She and Phineas dropped their staffs in simultaneous surrender to the falling rock.

And then she kissed him.

Her face had dived under his and the two finally met at the lips.

And everyone saw it.

He wrapped his arms around her back and closed his eyes. That was it. The deed had been done.

The earthquake had since ceased to devastate the room when the largest chunk of the ceiling finally made contact.

Perfeneas and Isealia were never seen again in person after that. They were terminated in each other's arms.

To them, it was perfect.

* * *

"There. It's finished."

Gretchen released a bit of breath she did not know she was holding. "So, where are they?" She asked, visibly shaken.

"Vanessa should be back with them shortly," Ferb replied.

Gretchen sighed. "I'm so sorry I missed it," she apologized. "My parents will have my head when they discover I broke my glasses."

Ferb looked at her. "You do realise that sentence was grammatically flawless," he noted.

The girl squinted to try to make out his figure. "It was being?"

The green mass of what she deemed his hair bobbed up and down, signaling a nod.

"But why would your _glasses _be your parents' greatest concern after all you've done in the past few days?"

Gretchen could not see his face clearly, but immediately recognized the speaker's voice. She turned, and asked in surprise, "Irving?"

"That's my name, don't wear it out."

"How long have you been standing there?"

Irving looked about the small control center and out its window into the simulation room, where people of varied importance milled about in confusion. He could see Vivian bawling. "Good question," he stated.

"We should move. Candace and Perry are awaiting us outside," explained Ferb. "Then we go home. Things should sort themselves out during the next few days."

"Muy bien," agreed Gretchen, who allowed Ferb to leave first before moving to follow him.

"Graciela, wait," Irving called, and she about-faced to hear him better.

He removed his spectacles, revealing how naked his eyes looked without them. "Here, take my glasses," he offered. Gretchen tentatively accepted, and fit them on; they were very large on her and clashed, somehow cutely, with her uniform and beret.

"Th-Thank you," she stammered, adjusting its huge bridge so that it could find proper balance. "Let us go."

"Um..." He stopped her, "Now, _I_ can't see..."

Gretchen backtracked and took his hand in hers. "I'll just have to help you along, then," she chided, and rested her head in his shoulder. The two exited the facility in bizarre peace.

* * *

It shot through the sky like a bolide, a colorful stream of sparkling something-or-other trailing behind it. It climbed ever higher until it reached their zenith, then exploded in a mass of brilliant, colorful light. More like it did the same in rapid succession, dancing in the night sky along with the trillions upon trillions of stars that had decided to take a backseat to their annual performance.

Ferb sat in his usual silence upon the grass in his backyard, paying no mind to the moisture staining his pants. He stroked their blades just to feel the forming dew rolling onto his fingers, the underlying calm beneath the spectacle that was the evening fireworks show.

Sort of like him.

Perry waddled up to his left hand, pushing his head into the crook of Ferb's arm. The boy smiled softly, then deserted the grass to pet his platypus instead.

_His platypus._ Perry belonged to him now, at least a little bit.

Ferb always felt a little awkward celebrating the American Independence Day every fourth of July, but this year he realised it was well worth celebrating; after all, he had lived on the west side of the Atlantic for most of his life, and even worked for the American government for a period of time. He was nearly a Yank himself, if not for his accent and propensity for tea.

To his left sat Gretchen Estrella Guerrero, just as entranced by the display as he was, if not more. He stole a glance at her, wondering how on Earth she had done all that she had to help when she was just so small. How was it possible to fit all that courage into such a frail, underdeveloped, eight-year-old body? He was never to know.

From behind, a pale pair of arms chose his shoulders as a place to rest their elbows, and his hair as a cushion for their owner's head. He stiffened slightly when he felt her brown hair fall upon his right shoulder and the black leather of her sleeves touch the sides of his head. Yes, even Vanessa had agreed to come to his house and watch the celebration.

_Six... Six..._

Ferb frowned. He had not seen Vanessa since the incident two days ago, and knew the conversation about his feelings that they were meaning to have was coming soon - likely after the fireworks were over. _Oh well,_ he realised, _I'm prepared for it. What's a measly six years, anyway?_

To Vanessa's right was Candace, who had somehow managed to keep unimpressed comments to herself the whole time. A slight wind breezed through her hair, making her grab at her bare arms for a moment. However, she could not deny that the peace of the night was something she could come to enjoy... On special occasions, that is. The Fourth of July seemed a good enough example.

_Peace. _It was something Ferb and his team had worked so hard to preserve, and yet two days after they changed everything just to achieve it, no one had heard any news of withdrawal from the war which had loomed over the seven for much too long. It made the holiday bittersweet, and Ferb reasoned that that might have been why no one had yet said a word.

The person to his immediate right reached a finger out and poked him in the leg.

"Some night, huh Ferb?"

Surprisingly, the question did not shatter the silence, but only gently pushed through it. Ferb looked to the speaker.

And he agreed: "Absolutely, Phineas."

The redhead beside him crossed his arms over his blue cargo shorts. "So, this happens every year?"

"Well, when it doesn't rain," explained Vanessa. She closed her eyes briefly in thought; the teen loved everything about the holiday, and felt it as good a time as any for something special to happen.

Phineas smiled. "Something to look forward to, then."

They sat back in silence again. "So... You never did tell us what happened," he pressed. "Whatever happened to D-D-"

"Doofenshmirtz?" Gretchen asked, "He's fine. That trap didn't ever hurt him, see, made his body temperature drop so low that he would freeze if he stepped out of it. It was real heat, just not real fire."

"And what about you two?" Phineas inquired further. "How did you ever get out?"

Ferb looked to his brother with a playful stare and explained, "All of Doofenshmirtz's traps are escapable. You should know." He looked down. "We designed them."

"...This is true." He turned to the others, and defended, "Of course, they weren't traps when we made them. He, uh, has his own ways of taking things and making them useful to him."

"Yeah," all except Gretchen and the platypus sighed.

"But what about you, Phineas?" Vanessa wondered, "I know the earthquake was just a simulation, but man, that took guts to go up there and do what you did."

"Yeah, but we've all done some pretty gutsy things recently," Phineas commented. "Well, it took a lot, but Ferb's really good at that kind of stuff. He almost had _me_ fooled that that piece of concrete was really falling! And I pick up on everything."

Ferb chuckled to himself at his brother's poor diction. At this time, the sliding glass door to the inside of the suburban house opened, perfectly framing a ten-year-seven-month-three-day-old girl in a pink pinafore.

"Everyone, good news!" Isabella announced, "Mrs. Flynn-Fletcher just read about it: our countries are having a ceasefire, the war is off!"

All the kids jumped up, exuberant. Phineas, in his enthusiasm, ran over to her with the biggest and most genuine grin he had ever exhibited, and grabbed both of her hands in his.

Joy. That was the first emotion that meeting Isabella had given him, and by far his favorite. It was the reason he had dropped from perfection, he decided; the joy she had given him had awakened a sense of emotions he had never experienced before, and he did not mind in the slightest.

"That's _awesome_, Isabella," he cheered, bouncing up and down. One last firework soared above them and exploded into a fury of orange, pink, green, brown, black, white, and teal. "Now, come on, let's celebrate."

Isabella did as she was told.

* * *

_~End of Part Two~_

* * *

**Thank you all so much for sticking with me to the end! It's been a long and wild ride, and I hope you had as much fun reading this as I did writing it! When did I start this, the end of October or something like that? Currently, this is the longest piece I've probably ever written, FanFiction or otherwise. And every minute was worth it. :)**

**So remember: Carp...ooling saves the planet! Hah, thought I was going to say Carpe Diem, didn'tcha? Well, it's apropos, 'cause Earth Day was yesterday and everything.**

**Oh, and keep an eye out for the epilogue, everybody!**


	19. Epilogue: Flawed

**You won't believe how many times I had to retype this. Apparently my computer thinks it's real funny to lose the wifi signal right as I press save... Ah, live and learn.**

**So, heh heh, interesting news about the show, huh? Can't say I'm particularly happy about it, but in light of said news I'm posting this now - approximately a month before... You know. (For those of you who don't know, ignorance is bliss, my friends.) Just remember that whatever happens in this chapter, it's for the sake of the show. You'll know what I mean when you read it.**

**Review Responses!**

**Dreadwing216: Thanks so much, I really enjoyed writing it! More fics should be coming, I can't say when, but they're on their way.**

**Guest: I am touched. If you do happen to be an elephant on its way to Mars, you've done a stellar job convincing me otherwise. Maybe you can get yourself an account sometime - perhaps you can still go by Guest and just mess everyone up. It's definitely been real, though. May we cross paths again.**

**...I just realized something. _I have hit a hundred reviews!_ A hundred! So now I want to specifically thank Guest, Galaxina-the-Seedrian, Phineas A, Dreadwing216, Jet Engine, Marissa Flynn, and EpicThoth3's for their support through the story. This wouldn't have been possible without you, and you all rule.**

**I'm just going to say this now: Prepare to have your mind blown. There will be plot holes, yes, but I have explanations for those! They might not be good explanations, but they'll do.**

**Carpe Diem!**

* * *

_Epilogue_

_June 3  
__One year later_

"So, Ferb, what do you want to do today?"

That was the question that Phineas had committed himself to answering differently each day, even after losing all of the traits that made him perfect. Getting used to their new lives had been hectic, but a year gave everyone plenty of time to cope and change according to their new roles.

Phineas had officially dropped the title of Perfeneas by now, and Isabella, Candace, and Gretchen had done the same with theirs. If someone had called out their previous names, they would not even turn.

"What about Perry? What does _he_ want to do?"

Of the seven, Agent Perry the Platypus was Perfeneas's only caretaker that remained affiliated with the O.W.C.A. Incredibly, Phineas never discovered his pet's status as a secret agent, or even the existence of the agency he worked for. Phineas leaned over and sniffed his pet, justifying the animal's laziness with the statement, "Well, he's a platypus. They don't do much.

"I, for one, am starting to get bored," he continued with a hint of annoyance, one of the new emotions he had discovered the summer before. "...And boredom is something up with which I will not put. The first thing they're gonna ask us when we get back to school is, 'What did we do over the summer?' I mean, no school for three months. Our lives should be a rollercoaster!"

An argument stating that their lives already bore resemblance to such a ride would not be disproved easily. Phineas's point, therefore, was that the two should continue making every day count and having fun. Perfeneas never built for his own enjoyment, but luckily, he was replaced by the optimistic Phineas Flynn - who invented not only for the benefit of others, but also for the thrill of creating something and the joy he got from using it. After some more words were spoken and the first whimsical gag of the summer had came and went, the boy threw his arms up and announced: _"Ferb, I know what we're gonna do today!"_

This was allowed to hang in the air for only a moment before Candace appeared in the driveway. She called after her mother, who was leaving for the store, with only one intent: she had to be sure she was in charge. Though Linda denied the necessity of this title falling unto anyone, Candace wanted authority over Phineas and Ferb too much not to earn it. The redheaded teenager was a clear demonstration of the ideology that some things never change; she had always wanted to reach her brother's level of perfection. Even though he and Isabella no longer possessed it, she would take every chance she would get to prove that she was as good - even better if she could manage it - as her brother.

"Hey, where's Perry?"

The last of the secret OWCA agents fitted his new-and-improved fedora around the top of his head after waddling around to the side of the house. He discreetly slipped into a chute which took him down via transportation tube to his lair.

"Good morning, Agent P."

Monogram greeted the platypus with the respect of a professional and the familiarity of a friend. Though some rough patches had been hit throughout the course of the past year, the two had forgave and forgot, setting aside their differences for the sake of their positions; remarkably, both had remained dedicated to the O.W.C.A., after the Major discovered Perry's true role in the prevention of the war. This was when he had learned just how much the agency depended on the monotreme. The O.W.C.A.'s branch of child workers disbanded entirely, but paid animal labor continued as normal.

Ferb was the only one of these agents to actually resign. He was called in for interrogation after Perry was, and while his intentions were blatantly against agency policies, his help in preventing the conflict - like Perry's - was just enough to secure his position there. However, he chose to leave OWCA to stay with his new brother and sister; Monogram respected this decision enough to grant him the right to keep his fedora (which the boy could not stand to discard, seeing as it was so fashionable).

Further questioning revealed to the major who exactly this new family of his was. While Monogram was technically responsible for reporting this information to the government, Ferb's uncanny persuasive skills led him to keep the secret under one condition: Those in the family who did not know of his employment in the agency were not ever allowed to know. This applied to Perry as well; of the Flynn-Fletcher's, only his retired coworker was aware that the platypus was, in fact, a secret agent.

Since then, Ferb had become even less talkative. And he would not have had it any other way.

Agent P saluted dutifully to his superior. By now, both man and monotreme had already resolved any problems between them and had actually formed a peculiar kind of friendship. Monogram even had a theme song commissioned for Perry.

Originally, the platypus's goal was to protect Perfeneas, even if it was his own father who had been the threat. Once Doofenshmirtz discovered that he could not use the boy for evil, and lost his -Inator-building crew, he chose to continue evil himself, making his own machines funded by the money Charlene was fined for keeping her fifteen-year-old secret from him - but with far less success. It then became Perry's official goal to stop him from using these machines for evil. However, he always considered protecting his family tens of times more important than dealing with the blubbering evil scientist who was now his nemesis.

"Ah, Perry the Platypus."

That was the Drusselstinian man's typical opening, usually followed by a form of illogical and confusing word play. While his contraptions themselves were all lackluster, the scientist had one strength: creativity in trap design. Although they only served their purpose for so long, Perry had to give him credit for that.

It sometimes felt weird, fighting one of his owner's father in the building he had once called home. And to think! A year ago, he had been napping in a pet bed placed in the far corner. He could still see little platypus hairs in the carpet underneath that area. Apparently, Doofenshmirtz did not vacuum often.

Within the past year, Perry had learned a thing or two about the man's habits as far as his profession in evil went. Once trapped, the agent would listen to a long and often irrelevant monologue, after which a sudden boost of cleverness would allow him to escape and thwart the man's scheme.

The poor scientist could not get a break. He would try his best, but after living with Perfeneas for so long, his son's morals were starting to rub off on him. He was not evil; he could not even think of one reason _why_ he wanted to reverse the Earth's rotation.

Unfortunately, the human field agents of OWCA were all relieved of their duties to the organization. A professional hypnotist was hired to convince each of the children that their experiences there were nothing more than a dream, which they would all lose to their subconsciousness one day anyway. Except one, that is: Vanessa Doofenshmirtz. She was reassigned from watching over Cansummace to keeping a steady eye on their evil father. While Perry thwarted, Vanessa spied. She would often try to expose his antics to a person of authority, typically her mother, but eventually she discovered there was an easier way to go about this mission, and she stuck with it. Sarcastic teenage daughter who just wants to live her own life? She could definitely pull that off.

Doofenshmirtz loved her dearly, though. What happened the summer before had absolutely crushed him, with his own perfect son refusing to be his family and no one ever seeing him or Cansummace again. He had not even had the chance to ask Perfeneas's forgiveness before what happened had happened, and he returned home under what he assumed was no watch. So when he found Vanessa at his apartment later that day, he embraced her tightly and even shed a few choice tears in sorrow for all he had done to her and her siblings. He invited her in and pampered her the whole day, supplying ice cream and a _Kleptocracy_ partner when she wanted it. He was not going to mess up this time; Vanessa was his undeserved second chance at having a healthy parent-to-child relationship.

That was why when, later that summer, the mechanical man he had designed began insisting he was the doctor's son, Doofenshmirtz blatantly refused to treat him as such. Perfeneas was his only son.

With a scream of, "Curse you, Perry the Platypus!" The man rolled away on a ball of tin foil. Perry returned home.

* * *

The maple tree in Phineas' and Ferb's backyard was in flames; a rollercoaster car had landed in it. No one was worried, though. By the next day, the fire would be out and the tree would be fine.

Miscellaneous children rained down from the tree after Candace and Linda headed inside. Cheers of "Way too cool," and "That was _awesome_!" filled the air in praise of the contraption that had deposited the kids there.

One jive of praise stood out above the rest as Isabella herself flew gracefully down from her perch. "That was _great_, Phineas," she lauded, staring dreamily at the boy who had so changed her life. She was one of the only ones who knew for absolute certain that her affection for him was mutual.

To a Danvillian, see, obliviousness is as commonplace as the inexplicable triangle patterns found on the ground, grass, and walls all over the area. Phineas and Isabella could never be the missing experiments, most residents reasoned; they were not a couple, nor were they perfect. (Nor were they dead, as many had used to excuse the similarities as mere coincidence.) And it was to stay that way for as long as possible.

Isabella left the yard, smiling softly to herself, still a bit dizzy from her experience on the coaster.

"So what should we do tomorrow?" Phineas wondered aloud, searching his exhausted brain for one of its Big Ideas. "There's a world of possibilities. Maybe we should make a list."

Shortly thereafter, the tree above them explosively gave up its attempts to hold the rollercoaster cars. Candace could be heard complaining from inside, a command from their mother to give it a rest shortly following.

It was a long year. Characters were formed, friends were made, backstories were invented, and secrets were kept. Graciela-turned-Gretchen studied vigorously about the language and culture of her new home, becoming quite the sesquipedalian. For unknown reasons she never really mentioned what had happened between her and Irving (and those who knew completely understood why), but it was not so much a secret as a topic shyly dismissed when brought up.

What became of Irving? After losing his position at the O.W.C.A., he had a surplus of hidden spy cameras for which he needed to find some use. So, in his unending awe of the once-perfect children, he created from the ground up what could be seen as a documentary, of sorts, of their new lives. Even Perry and Doofenshmirtz's daily battles were recorded. On occasion he would even get the group together to perform stories he himself had written and directed, often taking place in another area of the globe or time period. He used his knowledge of their past as practical blackmail if they ever decided they did not want to cooperate, but everyone - barring Doofenshmirtz - was usually happy to comply on such occasions. He even gave himself occasional cameos and a proper introduction, as if he was a new character inserted into his friends' lives.

The story of how was long and involved a waffle and three rubber band bracelets, but after Misters Povenmire and Marsh were relieved of their job to control the testing simulation, Irving had gotten a hold of their prowess in animation. (They had been training the past fifteen years to master their skills in the field so as to create a sufficient test, and now had nothing professional to do with their time.) Calling the series comedy gold, Povenmire and Marsh happily broadcast it over a certain children's entertainment channel or two for all who were interested in watching it.

"But before that," Ferb started, in response to his brother's idea, "Didn't you say you wanted to speak with Isabella?"

"Oh, that's right!" Phineas remembered, "Thanks for reminding me, Ferb."

The redhead stood up, said farewell in the form of a fist-bump, then turned and ran across the street.

* * *

There was a knock at Isabella's bedroom door. "Yes?" She invited, turning toward the noise.

"May I come in?" Came the request in Phineas's unmistakable nasally voice.

"That's what 'yes' means."

"Oh, sorry. Didn't hear you." Phineas chuckled, poking his head through the door, then coming deeper into the room. "Listen, I-I wanted to talk to you about something..."

Isabella sighed, reasonably sure she knew what the problem was. "What's the matter?" She inquired politely.

Phineas stepped up to face her fully, holding her left shoulder gently with his right hand and tucking a strand of raven and blue hair behind her ear with the other. She fidgeted slightly so as not to be prodded with his gigantic nose. "Isabella... I know you're perfect and all, but we have to be careful."

"I know, Phineas, I'm trying. I'm trying to keep it a secret, but-" she jabbed him playfully. "You make it so hard!"

She pushed herself onto her bed and leaned back so she was facing her ceiling. "I know we can do it, but..." She did not finish.

"I understand. Hey." He joined her on her bed, shifting to his side to see her better. "I love this new life now that you're in it. It might be hard, but I wouldn't have it any other way."

Isabella smiled warmly. "I love it too," she started, "But the problem is, everyone else is this close to figuring out why. And I can't go right from oogling over you to not caring at all. That would be even more suspicious."

Phineas giggled at her diction. "'Oogling'? Someone, write that down." She, too, turned onto her side to face him properly. "Still, we're in a difficult situation here. I-I don't really know what to do. I'm really flattered about all this, but it's really dangerous to go on like we have. Is there any way we could..."

Isabella frowned in concern, noting the soreness of his left ear from his constant rubbing it out of nervousness about their relationship. She looked away shyly, then sat back up on the bed; he followed suit. "It's the first day of summer vacation," she observed, "People will pay more attention to us now that we're out of school. They're going to want me to be obsessed with you..."

"Can you?"

She looked at him strangely. "Can you do me a really big favor?" He asked, "I'd hate to drag you down to my level and all, but - can you be - obsessed with me? I mean, it would make all this easier on both of us. I'll play oblivious until you're ready. You won't have to worry about letting our secret go, and I won't have to act so strange about it all the time. Deal?"

He thrust a jovial hand out to her, and she hesitated. "You really think we can do this?"

"Of course, Isealia! I-I mean..." He looked away, embarrassed.

There was a comfortable silence. "That's alright, Perfeneas," the girl chuckled, "It sounds nice when you say it."

Phineas beamed. "Then, do we have a deal, or not?"

Isabella accepted his hand. The silly boy, he did not know the full extent to which he really was oblivious; after all this time, he did not even know she had lost her perfection! It astounded her, but against her better judgement, she had decided to let him figure out the truth on his own. Out of fear of rejection if he ever did, mostly.

"Phineas?" Isabella started, curious. "D-Do you wish you were..."

"Out with it."

"...Still - perfect?" She choked. "Don't get me wrong, I love this life; it was just so much easier. You know?"

"Well, yeah, but... If I _was_ still... Perfect..." He scratched behind his head with one arm. The two had developed awkward feelings for the word in record time. "...Then I'd never have met you. I like it much better this way."

"I guess you're right. You do keep life exciting."

"Well, I ought to. There's just so much to do, so many days to seize every summer of every year!"

Isabella loved it when he got like this, and could not agree more. "How about I come over every day?" She asked, "So we can do that together. You and Ferb sure look like you have fun over there."

Long, gentle fingers played with the girl's bow. "Isabella, that sounds..."

He exhaled and looked her straight in the eyes, which seemed to glow that brilliant blue.

Phineas smiled. "That sounds _perfect_."


End file.
